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As you well
know, the capital of the modern Egypt is Cairo, but
Alexandria (once the capital in the Greek-Roman period) is
the second city as size and is called the pearl of the
Mediterranean. The founder of the city is Alexander the
Great, his statue being next to the Library of Alexandria.
The modern
city has a big harbor, where anchors even the cruises ships
that go all around the world. If you will ever choose to
have a cruise that includes the Egypt then you will anchor
here and you will visit the pyramids in a wonderful trip. |
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Also, close to the
harbor some ruins and statues were found dating from the
times when the harbor was under the Greeks and from the
pharaohs` times. One of the ruins is though to be the palace
of Cleopatra. On the West par of the harbor is the Quaitbay
citadel, built on the place where once the Alexandria
Lighthouse was. A great harbor is also at Port Said where
you can find many cheap things. You will also find numerous
monuments and decorative walls with pharaoh inscriptions or
all kinds of decorations with the water` s help.
The modern Egypt`s
beaches are private and cheap nad the public one are very
crowed during the summer. Another point of attraction in
Alexandria are the Montazah gardens, large places with
exotic vegetation and with many palms, where the king Faruk`
s palace (now the residence of the president), the house of
the king` s wives (now a hotel), beach and private houses in
mini gulfs, a bridge and a very old lighthouse.
The people are numerous and from
different races: blacks, Chinese, many Indonesians, Bedouins
with large skirts and turbans on their head, women with long
dresses and having their eyes covered.
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You can peacefully work on the
streets, the men are careful not to touch o woman
when they sit next to them. If you want to have a
haircut at 2 in the night, or to eat something, the
shops are open till the morning. It is said that the
city lives in night. The only period when the
streets are empty is from 4 till 9 in the morning.
The coffee shops are non stop and you will often see
men drinking a tea or a coffee at a shisha with
wonderful smells. In the evening the atmosphere is
special on the streets` coffee shops. The markets
are full of fruits and vegetables, and the little
donkeys are everywhere. There are also clean streets
and dirty streets, too.
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The bazaars are on
very long and large streets and the negotiation is the
commerce` s mother. The locals have their charm and as a
foreigner you are treated like a king. They are very
welcoming, friendly, open to know, and very generous. To be
able to communicate well with them you should have some
knowledge of Arab because not all the locals know English or
French.
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