15.
A day in Alexandria
13th March
We wake up comfortable, warm and ready for a precious new day.
When we look out of the window we smile. The rain has stopped, the sky is soft and the sun is peeking behind a misty sky, radiating its light on the magnificence of Alexandria.
Our room has a balcony and is facing the ocean. The sea is calm and the horizon is a wide landscape of endlessness.
We go down for breakfast at La Gourmandise Restaurant/Café, a level below the Tea House, and there are so many delicacies to choose from, we are spoilt for choice! We don’t usually have breakfast but these last few days in Siwa and here we are having it. Just because it is being offered to us with loving care that we receive in gratitude. Breaking whatever kind of routine we somehow create is always a joyous exploration of new moments. And being free from the need to eat at certain specific times, certain specific foods and in certain specific amounts is a freedom most humans never even consider. But it is available, if allowed.
The body is fed above all by our very Presence, by the loving gift of our staying in it, by the nurturing elixir of compassion that is permanently the seascape of our Essence, emanating from our core and feeding each cell and all of the spaces in-between, providing a safe space for physicality to be known to the Soul. All other requirements are man-made. They are neither good nor bad, neither essential nor dispensable. Each one of us gets to choose how we would like to feel and hence to provide ourselves with the conditions for that feeling. It lends itself to some reflexion as to whether it is biology that determines our wellbeing or our intangible Essence that nourishes biology. Just like the chicken and egg conundrum… May each one find the most appropriate measure of their own existence.
Abdo has committed to picking us up at the Hotel… by bus, and taking us around town. We are so happy and grateful for his kindness! He arrives at around 10 am and off we go.
The bus, which is in fact a 12 seater van, stops right in front of the Hotel. And as we hop in with Abdo, we get to know how it all works. Once a person gets in, they send the money towards the driver at the front through each other - it passes from one hand to the next until it gets there. But not before saying where we are heading upon getting in. So then the driver stops at the various locations along the way, where his passengers will be hopping off.
Now we know the cheapest and simplest way to travel around Alexandria. But we do have to know where we are going and say it correctly because almost no one knows English and especially not the driver. For now it is taken care of because we are with Abdo, so that’s all good :) I am just imagining us going around later on and tomorrow, when he is not with us. And I smile.
We first go to the Fort of Qaitbay (or Citadel), established back in the 15th century. It is still early, so we visit the Maritime Museum which is right there.
And it happens again. The thing where Abdo does not want to let us pay. And we wanted to pay for his ticket also! We realise that being a student, he is not exactly affluent but even upon our insistence he goes along and pays the tickets. Oh well, we receive his gift with much honour and gratitude, of course. It is interesting how cultural upbringing determines certain behaviours that are not necessarily the most comfortable and yet they are what one believes must be done. We are lucky though. Lucky for the benefit this provides us with in this situation :)
The Maritime Museum has only stuffed animals, no real fish, but still it is a knowledgeable visit and a good way to wait for the Fort to open.
Cats. There are so many cats outside. As if the goddesses are guarding this place, transmuting all of the once strongly masculine energies into a more balanced state of harmony.
Once in the Fort, the feeling of it is mysterious. Luxurious. Cold. Ancient. Beautiful. What have these walls witnessed over the last 500 years? I can sense, fear, courage, love, betrayal, loss… The walls speak of defense, exposure, firmness, harshness and protection. They have also seen raw emotions, brotherhood, faith, connection, will power. So much. So much is whispered across the veils of time.
As we walk across the rooms, through the doorways, up the stairs, we appreciate the shapes, the colours, the textures, the landscapes visible through the openings, through the iron windows out into the vast ocean and we dream the enchantment of kings and queens, thankful that we are in this day and age where we are not going to be beheaded by speaking our truth. Well, at least not where we have chosen to live.
After the Fort we go around town, admiring the richness of the monuments, statues old and new, murals, shops, as well as the poor state of the sidewalks in some parts of the city. We appreciate it all.
Abdo takes us to a local bar where there are only a few young men - a place we would not have chosen - which makes it all the more interesting to be taken around by our new friend.
Abdo is extremely religious. So much so, that at midday he leaves us for a while because he has to go and pray. We praise and honour his devotion.
After the bar, we go to a Mosque too… but of course the two of us, Joana and I, can only go in where the ladies are allowed, behind a wooden screen that does not lead directly to the central space of the Mosque. That is only accessible to men. And so we cover our heads, also a requirement, remove our shoes, of course, and admire our half of the space allocated to women. We admire the architecture. Thankful. Feel the energies here. Strange to us. But we feel a deep respect as well.
We then head for the train station to get our tickets to Cairo for Saturday, and fortunately so. The station is huge, the lady at the counter does not speak English and is not in the mood for niceties, so it would have been challenging to do this without being kindly escorted by our local guide and friend Abdo.
He takes us to lunch at a small fast food joint, because he wants us to try a local specialty. A kind of a hot dog but not. It sure is tasty and again we would never have gone to this place. As usual, Abdo insists he must pay, as he did at the bar too and has done all morning in the bus.
He is pretty fortunate that we decide to go back to the Hotel for a rest!!! Hehehehe Cause otherwise he would feel drawn to spend even more and there is no knowing where that would lead his cash flow to. Bless him! I am kidding here but I am really thankful for this new friend we made and for his kindness, his time, his knowledge, his openness. We sure were lucky to have met him on Wednesday in Siwa.
And so goes the dance of synchronicity, where chance is not the ruling principle. Somehow, in an unknown way to us, our consciousness conspired to bring forth the exact person we needed to meet at the exactly right time. And eventually we too were the right people for him to meet for some reason or other. A smile at the beauty of how everything works in this wide mysterious universe, is always at the tip of my lips.
We get back to the Hotel on our own. By bus. Victorious with our achievement.
After a short rest, we get ready to go and visit Mansoura at her home. She has the day off today but has invited us to her home for tea this afternoon. So we call an Uber - because we have no idea how to get to the exact address any other way - and we get to a dark street with shabby looking buildings where supposedly the doorman will take us up on the lift, to her floor.
The doorman is an overweight man in his thirties, sitting outside on a stool on the sidewalk with a friend, having a beer and wearing jeans and an old t-shirt with a bulging stomach, his clothes and overall figure looking like he could use a good wash. A lot of smiling is in order today. Cause though this is not what we were expecting, it is what it is and it is perfectly fine as it is.
When we get to Mansoura’s floor, she opens the door with a broad welcoming smile as well and invites us in. Contrary to the doorman, her course is spick and span and very lovingly decorated. We sit in the living room and are served delicious tea in beautiful teacups, accompanied by tasty local delicacies.
She shares how hard it has been for her to adapt to life here. She was used to travelling a lot. She loves Paris, has family there. But now she doesn’t travel much and her husband is away quite often. She feels a bit lonely sometimes, as she still has not made any really close friends yet here. A typical case of culture shock, which can be a tough thing to deal with when moving to a new country without any connections there.
And all for love. Interesting how love leads one to have to find more love. Within, first and foremost. Developing more trust in oneself, more depth with oneself, as well as establishing new bonds with strangers who become acquaintances and then friends over time. A new country to be accepted in its customs, creeds and organisational intricacies. Prying our heart more and more open, more and more willing to embrace all.
Well, the time comes for us to leave. Grateful. In love. Thank you Mansoura, for opening your house and your heart to us.
We get an Uber to the Hotel again and when we get to our room, Joana realizes her period has come unexpectedly. She has been experiencing a great range of irregularity, as her body is approaching menopause.
This means we will have to go and buy some tampons and sanitary pads for her. We figure a chemist will have them. Mainly because we haven’t really seen many supermarkets around. We ask in the reception where the nearest chemist is but once we get there, the young girl behind the counter says she does not have any. We ask for the next nearest Chemist. Once we get there, this time having to ask a man, we are faced with this strange feeling that there is something secret about women’s periods that cannot be spoken out loud. Whatever! They do have what we need and that’s all that matters.
We get some snacks at a store that seems to have tasty munchies and head to the Hotel again, where we settle in our comfy room to enjoy our light meal and relax from our full day out and about. Not too full though. Just about enough for us to call it a day and decide to rest.
Tomorrow is another day and we are very thankful for the one that has just gone by. Very very thankful.
💙💚💛💜💗
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