Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
When you are invited to visit a country in Africa in the middle of the summer, you wonder whether it is a good idea at all. But from the moment I arrived in this small city, at around five in the morning, courtesy Gulf Air, I had a completely different impression.
I absolutely loved the place. I cannot decide what I liked best - the easy-going, friendly people, the fantastic view from my hotel room or the fact that certain aspects of the city reminded me of Mumbai ... but the first thing I did in my twelfth floor sea facing room was to switch the air conditioning off and let the cool Mediterranean air in.
A couple of hours later I was off with my new friends Brian and Hussain in a local yellow and black Lada taxi to unravel the mysteries of the city. But at some point we decided that the best way to understand its pulse was to walk the streets and soak up the sights and the smells of the place.
Coming from Bahrain I was initially taken aback at the state of the buildings, bizarre driving styles (there is nothing called lane driving) and lack of pedestrian crossings. The roads are narrow and dirty and by-lanes are full of parked cars.
But in the middle of chaos I found real people who seemed to know how to make the most of their lives. There was love in the air with couples whispering away in the sea and walking hand in hand along the shoreline.
The beaches were full of families on holdiay and I also spotted many women covered in abayas, including one with just her eyes exposed, having a great time in the sea.
Discovering the city without a specific agenda has its pluses and we stumbled upon an old Coptic church that was being prepared for a funeral. Behind the oldest mosque in the city we found a casual market selling sheep, and children enjoying themselves on homemade tricycles.
There were fishermen making nets and a hawker selling roasted corn cobs on the streets. And someone selling giant loofas on something that looked like an old pushcart.
Away from the streets we toured the spacious public gardens surrounding the beautiful royal palace at Al Muntazah. Unfortunately, the palace is not open to the public but the gardens were full of Gulmohar blooms and are definately worth visiting in the evenings.
We were taken on excellent guided tours to the Qaitbay Citadel, the National Museum of Alexandria, the ruins of the Roman amphitheatre and the impressive Bibliotheca Alexandrina that contains a working library, a repository for manuscripts, a planetarium, museums, art galleries, and conference facilities.
Before I knew it two lovely days had flown by, but what made the trip especially memorable was the hospitality of the Four Seasons Hotel staff.
After walking eight to ten kilometres a day it is wonderful to be welcomed back with smiles and taken care of, even with my vegetarian diet.
The hotel also has a small private beach that offers a great space to sun bathe, a lovely pool and restaurants offering a variety of cuisines. Overall, a great visit ...and I recommend anyone planning a tour to Egypt to add Iskandariya aka Alexandria to their agenda. l For further details vist www.fourseasons.com www.gulfair.com
