Those world famous travelers, the Camel-lots, arrived in Alexandria on Friday after a whirlwind tour 24 hour tour of Jordan. In Jordan, they visited the Dead Sea and Mt. Nebo (Moses’ last stop). They arrived in Alexandria around 4:45 PM so we were able to return back to Schutz for the evening meal. That evening we settled everyone into their apartments and then journeyed out into the neighborhoods for an up close look at everyday life in Alexandria. Friday nights are pretty lively in our area so the girls got a chance to see the various shops open and bustling with activity. Normally when Pat and I walk in the area, we no longer draw much attention as the shopkeepers are used to seeing us but tonight with six of us, we did attract a many stares and the typical welcomes (“Welcome to Egypt and Welcome to my country”). The area we went (Bakos) boasts a lively evening market place that is packed with the locals. It is usually not an area where tourist will travel so a group featuring a Western man and five Western women (including a blonde!) really stand out. Overall the people greeted our family very warmly, with many smiles and friendly voices.
Saturday we spent most of the morning giving the girls a tour of the school. During the afternoon, Pat had a baby shower to attend and the travelers needed some time to rest before we took on another evening stroll. This time we headed down Schutz Street and stopped by the pharmacy and the barber shop so they could meet some of the locals who have taken care of us over the past three years. Following this, we headed to San Steffano for a look at the “other side” of Alex. We stopped at Starbucks and enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate overlooking the Mediterranean before heading back home for a few games of cards.
I headed back to work on Sunday while Pat accompanied the Camel-lots to St. Mark’s for a two hour church service, a tour of the famous Bibliotech and a relaxing lunch along the Med at Fresca’s. In the evening we enjoyed a few more games of cards and then Ruth Ann, Diane, Linda and I went out for “shopping walk.” We took a little different way home so they could see a few more of the little nooks and crannies of the side streets. From the outside, many of the streets look the same, but when you actually walk the area you find the each one is unique with their own personalities. Even though the city has over 6,000,000 people, it is like a small town because the majority of people will spend most of their lives in their neighborhood, rarely venturing out. We did get to see a basket being lowered down to the street near one of our local shops with a list of items for the shopkeeper to fill and send back up.
Today the Camel-lots will be touring Alexandria, visiting Quit Bay, Pompey’s Pillar, the Roman Amphitheater and the Catacombs. The weather looks good and I’m sure they will have another interesting day.
