on to 'mainland' Egypt - Alexandria
My time with the cats finally came to an end and I took a long overnight bus trip to the city of Alexandria, having decided to see those corners of the country I’d previously missed (as well as the new Grand Egyptian Museum). Alexandria was really interesting, with so much of the country’s ancient history (founded by Alexander the Great, succeeded by the Pharaohs, Romans, Mamluks, Ottomans, French – even the Brits, for a short period) having left its mark here – in the case of the Romans, allowing me to combine my interest in viewing historical remnants with that of birdwatching, when I saw this swamphen amongst the Roman mosaics remaining in the city! It was fun travelling around too. I did a lot of walking as the city is stretched out along the Mediterranean coast, but also enjoyed travelling in the 12-seater white minivans which you can flag down and take to most places for just ten Egyptian pounds (the equivalent of 14p in British terms). Oh yes! …talking of which ...