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Travel Tips
For a good read before, during or after your trip:
Lawrence Durrell, The Alexandrian Quartet, obviously.
The Complete Poems of Cavafy. His poems bring Alexandria's past into
the present. He is referred to as "the old poet of the city" in Durrell's
Quartet, and as one of "the city's exemplars -- Cavafy, Alexander, Cleopatra and the rest" in Balthazar.
Naguib Mahfouz, Miramar is an inside view of Alexandria in modern Egypt, by the country's most distinguished novelist.
E.M. Forster, Alexandria, A History and a Guide, written during WWI when Forster was stationed there as a Red cross volunteer.
E.M. Forster, Pharos & Pharillon, An Evocation of Alexandria. The title says it all. A very "sweet" book, which includes a chapter on Siwa.
Jane Lagoudis Pinchin, Alexandria Still. This book describes the profound influence exerted by the spirit of Alexandria and the Alexandrian poet Cavafy on Durrell and Forster.
Cairo book shops:
The American University in Cairo: Hill House, Main Campus, off Tahrir Square.
Lehnert & Landrock (good for maps too): 44 Sharif Street.
L'Orientaliste (good for second hand books too): 15 Kasr El Nil.
Anglo-American: 165 Muhammed Farid Street.
Madbuli: Talaat Harb Square.
Hotels
The Cecil Hotel in Alexandria is the hotel for anyone with any
literary sensitivity. Take special note of the ornate cage elevator.
Men say that a visit to the barber in the hotel for a shave and cologne is
one of the great Alexandrian experiences.
The Beau Site Hotel in Mersah Matruh is not a bad night's sleep either.
Restaurants in Alexandria
Pastroudis' restaurant/bar/patisserie has been the place to hang out since Durrell's time.
Take breakfast in the salon of The Grand Trianon. Elegant still, as
opposed to most of Alexandria, which is now dilapidated and run-down. Take tea in the garden at Baudrot's. Sit in the art nouveau bar of the Cap d'Or.
Dine on grilled shrimp at Athini's restaurant. Wood panelling,
small booths, sandblasted glass, gilt framed mirrors, peeling moiré wall paper, gold rococo detailing, art deco lampshades, Greek lampshades, and the ultimate touch -- bas relief gold painted nymphets dancing on the ceiling! Plus a grand piano, goblin tapestries in gold frames, electric wiring glaring horribly, stained green carpet, peeling paint, waiters in black tie and tails, and loud sailors and Egyptian boys drinking beer...another "real" Alexandrian experience.
For cinema, see the films of Yusef Chahin, especially Alexandria Again and Again. He is an Egyptian (Copt) filmmaker whose films are pretty far out (by any
standards). Based in Cairo, his film studio is well worth a visit. He
also made an outrageous epic, most of which was filmed in Siwa oasis.
Stop by The Royal Jewelry Museum situated in the former royal palace of Ras el Tin. The late King Farouk embarked on his yacht after his abdication in
1952 with 204 trunks and a plentiful supply of champagne. What he left
behind constitutes the museum's collection! It is known for its miles
of gilded corridors, for its unsurpassed collection of high-kitsch
furniture, paintings, and chandeliers, for its kitsch gothic and marble,
for its ebony cigar holders studded with rubies, and for a secret room
without windows, where the royal jewels were kept. Some of those jewels
are now on display, including a rattle studded with heavy diamonds which
Farouk's father played with as a baby.
Savor The Greco-Roman Museum in Alexandria, built in 1895 by Italian
architects along vaguely classical lines.
If you are intent on reaching Siwa Oasis, bear in mind that you need special authorization and permission to stay there from the
Governor in Mersah Matruh or the Frontier Corps in Cairo.
Back to
In The Wake of
Alexander the Great
Hannah Satz is a writer, photographer and curator based in Jerusalem, Israel. She is originally from Melbourne, Australia, and is currently working on a book on pilgrimage.
© 1996 Tripod, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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