Alexandria the great

Traffic is always unpredictable in Cairo given the 25-30 million people who inhabit it and so I arrived at the train station literally 20 seconds too late. After running into the station from the road, I watched as my Alexandria bound train headed off into the distance. After talking with the train customer service in broken English and realizing the next train would not get me to my destination until evening, I decided to hire a driver and make the trip by car. The drive North took longer than hoped and I arrived in Alexandria just after 2pm and headed straight to the Library. At the entrance, the security guard informed me that the library closed at 2pm during Ramadan and would not open back up until 10am the next morning - just my luck today. Feeling strike two, I headed a few blocks straight for the beach, in this case, the Mediterranean Sea for some solace. Looking out onto the coast of the sea took me back to California in my mind. I took in some fresh air and strolled along the coastline taking in the scenery. Feeling zen once again, I hailed a taxi and went on a mini tour of the town. Along the way, I took photos and spoke in the few Arabic words and phrases I knew, and he spoke to me like Arabic was my native tongue - ah, frustration. The tour ended at the Four Seasons and I could not have been happier to meet an American who was the manager at the spa. Anne, originally from New Hampshire, had been living in Alexandria for the past year and shared with me her observations and experiences as an expat in Egypt. When she first arrived, she felt like an alien and had a judgmental eye towards the culture and religion and in particular, the woman's role. But after observing and living among the people she now has a new found respect and appreciation for Egyptian ways and sees that the men regard their women as sacred creatures who they cannot live without...in her opinion. It has been interesting to see the dominance of men in the public here in Egypt. It was rare for me to see a woman working in the storefront or at a restaurant or in any other day job for that matter. Most women stay at home with the children and allow the men to take care of monetary responsibilities. When questioning the Egyptian woman about the head to toe dressing, they seemed totally comfortable with the custom and eager to please their men who encourage the dress in an effort keep other men from looking at or desiring their women. Culturally ingrained Egyptian men seem to have a self-proclaimed jealous and possessive nature but at the same time, in accordance to the Muslim religion, a desire to be the best husband they can be in nurture and care of their wives; A different kind of respect for women than the American way. After the tour I headed one of the cafe's there at the hotel, Fresca for a relaxing dinner overlooking the peaceful Mediterranean. I ordered a panini and once again indulged myself with Turkish coffee while overlooking the sunset through the palm trees.