April 20

I was able to pick up the luggage late Saturday evening. At first when I went to the airport the security didn’t want to let me in since I didn’t have an outgoing ticket. It took approximately15 minutes to convince them that all I wanted was to pick up luggage that was lost in a previous flight. They finally let me pass then the officials at the baggage claim area told me I would have to come back in the morning as I hadn’t brought my passport. Fortunately, I have an Egyptian Drivers License and that was able to serve as my identification along with the baggage claim. Anyway, after a few more minutes, I was able to claim the luggage and leave.



Sunday evening we joined Debbie and Mahmoud for supper at the Chinese Restaurant at the historic Hotel Cecil overlooking the bay and yacht club on the Corniche. The view from the top of the hotel where the restaurant is located is probably one of the best in Alexandria. It is said that Agatha Christie, Winston Churchill and Somerset Maugham are a few of the many dignitaries who stayed at the Cecil. The cab ride to the Cecil was one of the more interesting rides we have had. The cabbie spoke some English and seemed anxious to try it out. He told us much about his present life as he took us on a roundabout route to the Cecil. He seemed interested in showing as some sights and even stopped at one of the Roman historical locations. He offered to give us a tour anytime and wanted to give us his mobile number to call him. Like many locals we have met, he was very friendly and hospitable. When we finally arrived at the hotel, he didn’t want to accept our payment as he wanted us to be happy with his service. He finally took the money after we took his name and phone number.

April 18

We have returned from a relaxing stay on the Island of Crete. We left for Crete last Friday in the wee hours (as most flights leave Egypt) at 2:55 AM. We have never really understood why the flights are always as such early morning hours but it really plays havoc with our systems. Because you have to be at the airport two hours before for an international flight, we figured there wasn’t any use in going to bed – besides, we had family visiting and wanted to spend as much time with them before we left. We flew to Athens and then had longer layover than planned because the flight to Heraklion was delayed (a sign of things to come). When we finally made it to Heraklion, we were to be met by a taxi and while we were, it wasn’t quite the norm as there was a strike and taxis were not allowed on airport property. So we had to take a bus for a short distance before getting our taxi.

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and the 5th largest in the Mediterranean. It was the Minoan civilization (ca. 2600–1400 BC), the oldest Greek civilization, which was one of our main reasons for wanting to visit Crete. There are several cities, towns and villages and we chose Hersonissos to stay in.



Our hotel (Amazones Village Resort) was located in the hills about a mile from the downtown area in a neat little village area with several family run businesses and tavernas. The hotel specializes providing a friendly atmosphere and we enjoyed our stay. Because of the location, we had a great view of the sea without much traffic. The only downside was the hike into town, or more specifically the hike back. It was all downhill going in and uphill coming back. We certainly got our exercise! The family run tavernas in the area offered very good food and great service. Often, we were the only customers. The Greek salads were great! We also found a little pastry shop that specialized in pies and rolls, just hitting the spot in the mid afternoon.



One of the highlights of Crete was the visit to the Palace of Knossos. The Palace of Knossos is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and probably the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan civilization and culture. It was built between 1700 and 1400 BC and was “discovered” by British archeologist Arthur Evans in 1900. He performed much of the excavation and restoration. Much of what we see today is based on an interpretation by Evans of what he believed. We spent nearly three hours exploring the grounds. Unfortunately the museum which holds many of the artifacts from the Palace is under renovation and most of the collection is not available for viewing.

Most of the rest of our stay on Crete was spent relaxing by the pool and strolling through the small villages near our hotel. Nearly all of the structures are stone, many of which are over a hundred years old. The pace in this area is much slower than in many tourist spots and it provided us with a very relaxing time. Both of us were able to get some reading done that we normally do not seem to have a much time for. I’m sure the pace picks up considerably during the summer months as Crete is one of the major tourist hotspots for Europeans. In fact a few of the shopkeepers and taverna owners were transplanted from other countries. We met a man who lived in Alexandria whose grandfather once owned Zypherion – our favorite fish restaurant! His grandfather owned it when Aristotle Onassias was a regular customer at Zypherion.

Our trip home was a real experience. We were scheduled to leave at 11:05 PM from Heraklion and 1:15 AM from Athens. When we checked in at the airport in Heraklion, we were told that our flight would be delayed until 12:30 AM, making it virtually impossible to make our connecting flight. Since there would be no flights the next day, it would be two days before we could fly into Alex – the airline told us we might be able to get on a flight to Cairo the following evening. After a “heated” discussion, we finally boarded the flight to Athens and hoped we could make our connecting flight. When we landed in Athens, we virtually sprinted to the other gate as we were told that our connecting flight to Athens still hadn’t taken off. We made it “barely” – thinking they had held the plane for us. Later, another Schutz couple who was on that flight told us the plane was delayed in taking off because many of the passengers had made several purchases at the “duty-free” shop and it cause a delay as they brought their items on board and tried to find storage space for them in the overhead compartments.

We arrived in Alexandria (after a shaky landing) and chaos ensued as we taxied to the airport. Egyptians are notorious for always being in a hurry to get off the plane. Even as we are still moving, they are up and pushing their way towards the exits. The flight attendants quickly give up and just try to get out of the way of the onrushing crowd! After we got through passport control, we headed for the baggage claim all the while have a feeling that maybe our luggage didn’t make the connecting flight. Guess the odds finally caught up with us and sure enough, our luggage was still in Athens. We filed a claim and by the time we got back home, it was nearly 4:00 AM. We got a call today and were told to come to the airport tonight at midnight and our luggage would be coming in. Hopefully all will be fine when we go pick it up.

April 09

The Camel-Lot World Wide Tour is entering the final stages. On Wednesday we joined our friend Lobna at Montazah. Montazah is a large complex surrounded by great walls from the south, east and west, and with the beach on its north side. This area used to belong to the Mohamed Ali family, which ruled Egypt from the mid XIXth century until 1952. The construction was started in 1892 by King Abbas II, who built a large palace inside the complex called the Salamlek. In 1932 King Fuad built a larger palace and called it the Haramlik. Montazah Palace was the last residence for King Faruk I before he abdicated in 1952. At one time deer and gazelles roamed the vast grounds. Much of the area is occupied by beautiful gardens. Palm trees and flower beds cover the area. Lobna has a “cabana” near the sea with a wonderful view of the Mediterranean. We enjoyed a quiet afternoon of good conversation with the sounds of the sea in the background. These cabanas are family owned and are passed from generation to generation. We traveled to and from Montazah in two cabs. Traffic was very thick at times – one of the best descriptions the Camel-Lots heard while they were here from one of the guides was that the drivers “fill in the gaps”. The taxi rides are always an experience. One of the taxis had no working gauges and a steering wheel that was barely attached to the steering column.

In the evening we power walked down to San Steffano for a movie. Pat and Diane went to “My Mother’s New Boyfriend” while Linda, Ruth Ann and I went to “Slumdog Millionaire”. Ticket prices for the 7:00 PM show was 30 LE while popcorn was 5 LE.

Today we rode the tram down to the Roushdy area to visit the Sacred Heart School (an all girl’s school with nearly 700 students). We have wanted to visit a local school since we have been here to see how it compares with Schutz. The style of education is different. Students are tested each month and ultimately how they do on these tests determine their placement later on for their studies. Class size was very large in the school with between 45 and 60 students. As we walked into the classroom, all of the students stood in unison and welcomed us. We observed several classrooms and were very impressed with how orderly and polite the students were. School is over each day at 3:00 but many students stay after as well a come in on weekends for extra help. The school is considered a private school but it is still under control of the Ministry of Education. The tram ride to and from Roushdy was very interesting. People of all ages will converse with us and help us out with the stops to make sure we find our way. Diane and I were having a conversation with two young men and according to local customs; there is a possibility that Diane became engaged! We hope Dave will understand.



We visited the adjacent church to the school. They are in the process of refurbishing the interior. One of the areas they are working on is painting the ceilings and archways. We met the artist and observed his work. Notice the details in the photo of the ceiling. The work he does is truly amazing.

We have just a few hours left with the Camel-Lots – what an experience for all of us. It has been a wonderful two weeks sharing our life here with them. Someone said that your life will be different when you view a sun set from the other side of the world and for the Camel-Lots that is probably true. They also have been wonderful ambassadors for America as our other visitors (my sister Eileen and her husband Bryan, our son Aaron and our daughter Angelia and grandson Nick) have been.

April 07

We’ve arrived back to the friendly confines of Schutz today after a whirlwind tour of Cairo, the city that truly doesn’t sleep. Every aspect of our Cairo experience was memorable. We left Friday the 3rd by train for a leisurely trip down. The train runs through the rich agricultural area of Egypt. Here one can see nearly any mode of transportation by the locals ranging from pickups, cars, tractors, donkeys, donkey carts, bikes, and on foot. Most of the field work is done by hand as it has been for hundreds of years. We arrived at the train station and were met by a slew of taxi drivers, one of which had a station wagon that could transport all of us in one vehicle to our hotel. We loaded up the wagon, got in and sat as the driver tried to get his vehicle started. The engine didn’t turn over so he hopped out, popped the hood and fiddled with the engine. Again, nothing so he yelled at someone and asked me to hop out and we began pushing it. I was thinking it was a little too far to do this to the hotel, as he jumped in and popped the clutch to start the engine. After a thrilling ride through the streets of Cairo we arrived safely at our hotel.

Later in the afternoon, we took a taxi over to an area on the Nile and took a little sailboat ride. I think the girls really enjoyed getting up close to the great river and to the boat captain who wanted to have photos taken with the Camel-lots. After our boat ride, we met with Debbie and Mahmoud to dine at a favorite Lebanese restaurant located in the area nearby the American Embassy. What started out as a pleasant stroll though the embassy area turned out to nearly start an international event. The grounds outside the embassy are guarded by an Egyptian security force. The Camel-lots asked one of the young guards if they could take a photo of the embassy. Apparently he didn’t understand what they were asking him and as they pulled out their cameras and started snapping photos, security from both ends of the streets rushed towards us. They looked at the cameras and demanded that the photos be deleted—we were probably pretty lucky they didn’t confiscate the cameras. They asked Mahmoud to see his identification and took his Egyptian National Identification Card and asked to see my passport, taking down my name and passport number. A few more security officials came and told us it would only be a few minutes before we would be able to go on to the restaurant after we explained what we were doing. A few minutes passed and more minutes passed and finally after nearly an hour we were allowed to go on but they kept Mahmoud’s identification card until we returned after our meal. The guards apologized for detaining us but tried to explain that the heightened security in the area was necessary due to the recent unrest in the Kahn.



Saturday we visited the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Egyptian National Museum. Our guide for the day was a young Muslim guide, Radwa. She was a very knowledgeable and pleasant young lady who not only provided us with a wealth of historical information but also good insight into the Islamic culture of Egypt. The Pyramid area was very crowded with many tourists and school groups visiting. Temperatures were very warm. We have been to the Pyramids a half a dozen times and yet we still are amazed when we visit. The magnitude of these structures and the engineering skills it must have taken to build these are indeed remarkable. I don’t know how they could be built today even with the modern technology and equipment. The area around the Pyramids has been cleaned up and is much more secure today, with fencing and secures entrances. There are still many souvenir vendors peddling their wares. Linda was a favorite of the vendors – it almost was as if she had a flashing neon sign proclaiming “I am a shopper!” The others attracted their share of attention as well, but it seemed that the vendors flocked to Linda.



The highlight of the trip to the Pyramids was the camel rides. Each of the Camel-lots climbed up on a trusty camel and headed out into the desert. After a few strides, they looked like veteran camel jockeys! We enjoyed lunch at a nice local restaurant before visiting the National Museum. Much of the focus in the museum was on the King Tut exhibit. The museum houses over 100,000 pieces and one could easily spend days without scratching the surface of all that is on display. With only two hours we wanted to limit our attention to King Tut as his collection is fairly complete.

Sunday, our guide was ill so we had a different guide, Sally who took us to Dahshour, Saquarra (Home of the first (Steppe) Pyramids, Memphis (site of the first united capital of Egypt, and the Kahn El Khalili Bazaar. At Dahshour we climbed down 139 steps into one of the early Pyramids. The air inside the Pyramid had the odor of ammonia. The climb down and up was a little more strenuous than we thought and for the next two days we felt the effects in our legs. The temperature Sunday was in the high eighties with not a cloud in the sky. Anywhere we could, we looked for shade to get a little relief from the heat. After lunch we visited the Kahn where the ladies enjoyed an afternoon of bargain hunting and “negotiating” with the vendors. It is interesting to listen to the sales pitch of the vendors as they try to make a sale. For many westerners who are used to paying set prices, shopping can be an eye-opening experience. It is best to just relax and have some fun with it. The vendor will try to get customers to pay the highest possible price but if you have a price in mind that you are willing to spend, they will often come down and reach a price that both will be satisfied with. They will often ask if you are happy with the price because they feel you are more likely to tell others when you are satisfied. After shopping, we stopped at the oldest café in the Kahn, one where the last king of Egypt, King Farouk is said to have dined. We wanted to enjoy a cool drink before heading back to the hotel. As soon as we sat down, various vendors swarmed to our table to offer camel skin wallets, jewelry, watches, and scarves. One of their techniques is to pull out a lighter and hold an open flame to show that the wallets, jewelry, scarves, etc. are authentic. We thought afterwards that when we go shopping in the states this summer we should pull out a lighter to test products in the stores back home!

Radwa returned to guide us on Monday as we visited Coptic Cairo, the Citadel, Mohamed Ali Mosque, the Ben Ezra Synagogue and the Sultan Hassan Mosque. We have visited several cathedrals in Europe over the past three years and these mosques certainly rival anything we have seen in regards to design and architecture. It is truly remarkable that these were built without the equipment we use today. Our guide gave us good insight into the Islamic religion and the role it has played in the history and culture of Egypt. One of the enjoyable aspects of our visit to Cairo was exploring the neighborhood area of Zamalek. This is one of our favorite areas in Cairo – it was once home to many of the major embassies. There are still a few in the area and it is very quiet and easy to walk in during the evening. The people on the street are very helpful if you are not sure where you are going. Just like in Alex, people smile and say hello, welcoming you to their country.

Today we crossed the Nile for the final time with Camel-lots and headed back to Alexandria. We will regroup for a couple of days and get caught up with our laundry before the Camel-lots head back to the States and we head to Crete.

April 03

Spring Break has finally arrived and none too soon for many of the staff here. It has been difficult this past week keeping the kids focused on school and it has been difficult for Pat and I as well with family visiting as we are anxious to be with them as much as we can.

On Monday, the Camel-lots toured Alexandria, visiting many of the important historical sites. They have become a big hit wherever they go – people flock to them (maybe it is the generous tipping but more than likely it is their friendly Iowa personalities). They seem to be able to strike up a conversation with nearly anyone. Many of the locals are anxious to practice their English while others seem to be fascinated to hear them speak. Monday evening we all boarded the tram to travel to the Sporting Club to meet with Madame Lobna to purchase jewelry. On the tram ride a young man struck up a conversation with the ladies. The man was a chemist who had spent 5 years in the States around the time of 9/11. His wife is currently in Algeria; he is living with his parents. As they were talking, another man came over and listened very intently. I’m sure it is very unusual for those who ride the tram to speak at length to any Westerners – tourists typically do not ride the tram – so it benefits both our guests to learn of everyday life here and the locals to learn that the typical American is really no different than they are.

Jewelry buying with Lobna is always a unique experience. There is a shop in the Sporting Club that sells excellent quality items, primarily gold, silver and diamonds. We have purchased several items there with her help. When we enter the little shop the owner is very pleased to see us but also knows that he is in for battle when it comes time to negotiate the price. Cost for silver or gold items is based on their quality and their weight and he will have a figure in mind that he feels he needs to get. It is interesting to watch the exchange back and forth before a price is finally arrived at. Above all, as a shopkeeper he wants us to be happy with the price we settle on and he wants to be sure that Lobna (one of his best customers) is also happy as well. After nearly 90 minutes, the Camel-lots walked out with several nice items reflecting Egyptian culture.




Tuesday the ladies spent time with one of my students, Alaa, a young lady who is a very devout Muslim who comes from a wealthy family. For over an hour, they asked questions to find out about life here. Conversations such as this not only benefit our travelers but also benefit the locals as they learn that the typical American is not always like they see in the media. In the evening, we visited our local family that we have become friends with. They invited us over to meet our family and give our family a glimpse of everyday life. Their home would probably be very typical for a middle class family in Egypt. In addition to their family, the wife’s sister and her children came over as well to join in the evening. There were four boys who attend an English speaking public school in the two families. They understand and read English very well but sometimes have difficulty speaking it so this gives them a good opportunity to practice. Class size in school for 3 boys is quite large, with 55 in the class while the youngest boy has only 25 in his class. When we asked why the difference, the parents told us that they have to pay more for the smaller class – 1500 LE for the large class vs. 500 LE for the smaller class. Another interesting topic of conversation was the discussion of marriage. A man can have up to three wives. He has to provide equally for all three. His reasons for having more than one usually center on children. If one is unable to provide him with a child, he may marry a second. There is often quite a bit of jealously that occurs within a family between the wife and the sisters of the husband. The sisters can be angry because the wife is taking their brother away from the family. All in all, it was a most interesting day for the Camel-lots as they learned much about life and the people in Egypt.



On Wednesday, we visited Zypherion, our favorite fish restaurant located in Abo Kir, a short drive from Alexandria. There isn’t a more pleasant dining experience to be found than on the shores of the Mediterranean than Zypherion at sunset. We ordered two large sea bass and over 3 kilo of prawn (shrimp – although shrimp would not be an accurate description as these were probably 6 inches long). Diane and Pat engaged in a prawn eating contest and they probably consumed a kilo themselves. We were joined by Debbie (a local foreign hire teacher) and her husband, Mahmoud (who teaches at the university)’ Tamer (another teacher) and his mother-in-law from New York who has traveled over to visit and his son. One of the highlights of the Zypherion is picking out the fish. They will have the day’s catch in the kitchen and you can go and pick out what you want to have. This evening was an important evening for the restaurant as later on (around 9:00) the governor of Alexandria and Ahmed Nazif, the Prime Minister of Egypt was scheduled to dine at Zypherion.

Thursday, we visited our friend Lobna for tea and two delicious desserts at her apartment. Perhaps the best description of Lobna’s apartment would be like a museum of classical furniture and silver. Lobna is a most gracious host who has been our “buddy” ever since we arrived in Alexandria three years ago. She enjoys meeting our family when they come over and sharing with us. She provides a unique perspective into the culture and lifestyle of cosmopolitan Alexandria, when it was often referred to as the “Pearl of the Mediterranean.” We used the tram again for our transportation. Thursday evenings it is very crowded and often there aren’t any seats. Young men who have seats will rise and offer their seats to the ladies. As we walked back to the school from the tram line, several children come up and ask the Camel-lots what their names are and how old they are. They aren’t being disrespectful when they ask the age; it may be one of a few sentences that they know how to say in English. Anytime the Camel-lots leave campus during the day while we are in school, children will come up to them to talk. Several times the ladies have left campus on their own and explored the neighborhood and shopped for bargains. The locals are quick to assist them with anything to make their stay in Egypt as hospitable as possible.

Today we are headed out to Cairo on the train. This should be a memorable experience. On the ride down we will step back in time and see farming as it once was in the states in the 20’s and 30’s when much f the work was done by hand. Once in Cairo they will experience all of the history of the antiquities such as the Pyramids, Coptic Cairo, the Citadel, Memphis, the Kahn, etc. The sights and sounds of this busy metropolis (the largest city in the Arab world) with over 25,000,000 can be overwhelming at first look but we are sure the Camel-lots will be up to the challenge!