The reason I visited Alexandria , a northen coastal city overseeing the Mediterranean Sea was to see Qaitbal Fort, the site where the legendary lighthouse "Pharos" was built but no longer in existence. This lighthouse was one rated as one of the 7 ancient Wonders of the World. Alexandria was named after Alexander the Great in 331BC.
From the Cairo train station, I bought a train ticket (21EP=Rm14) to Alexandria, about 225 km from Cairo. The train ride took 3 hours and stopped at the old Alexandria train station in the heart of the city. Alexandria
is Egypt's 2nd largest city. For this visit, I had a travel buddy from Australia joining me.
is Egypt's 2nd largest city. For this visit, I had a travel buddy from Australia joining me.On arrival, we could feel the hustle and bustle of the city. We began to explore the main city centre passing the souk area , the tiny streets and traditional shops. An old eletric tram is still in service ferrying local residents to downtown area. We also passed the Roman Amphitheatre but did not enter. Next we walked towards the Eastern Harbour corniche where the Qaitbai Fort is located. However to save time, we took a microbus which dropped us at a nearby road junction not far from the Fort.
Qaitbal Fort is surrounded by a charming coastline of Mediterranean Sea. A number of local residents were found to be lazing around indulged in fishing near the Fort and we really enjoyed the sea breeze and the surrounding environment. The deep blue sea and clear blue sky plus the coastline tempted us to stay a bit longer in this area.
Other interesting places worth visiting are the Alexandria Library and Pompey's Pillar but due to time constraints, we were not able to see them.
We took a return train ride back and arrived in Amman around 7.00pm.
"Alexandria is The Pearl of the Mediterranean. Though the Pharos Lighthouse had gone , this ancient city of The Alexandria the Great is well worth a visit"
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