Day 8 on the Equinox: Alexandria from the harbour
Nov 01 '09
The Bottom Line A quiet day, without any excursions, and time to reflect.
I slept late, being very tired from all the traveling from yesterday, and spent the day on the ship. And I needed to think and organize some of my thoughts about what I had seen and experienced the day before. Besides, the view from the harbour of Alexandria is really quite impressive once you get to the upper decks of the Equinox, which is where I headed soon after getting up and showered and tidied up. I had notebook and book in hand, and first looked for breakfast -- well, lunch really -- and headed for the Oceanview café.
As they had just turned over the stations from breakfast, and the luncheon crowd was starting to come in, it was a bit confusing at first, but I was able to soon load up a plate, and find a place to sit. One thing I have noticed, and quickly, is that there seems to always be a waiter nearby, and there are times when they simply pluck my plates from my hands, led me to a seat by the windows, and fetch me my silver and drinks -- usually ice water and black tea. I know it's the cane that is alerting them, but still -- it's taken me a while to get used to it. And they always smile and check in on me regularly. And I confess that it is very nice to be taken care of like this. It lets me focus on other things.
Shameless, I know.
And it seemed that much of the talk from the other diners around me was about what they had seen in Egypt the previous day. Many were still in shock at the conditions that we had seen -- and to be honest, I didn't blame them. I think that for many, it was our first encounter with what the third world lives in regularly, from day to day, and that most of us, insulated as we are by two oceans and enough money to live comfortably with most of our daily needs met, simply don't have a clue as to how bad things can get. Inside, I felt awful about it all, and knew that there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it -- sadly, one thing that you do learn with intensive psychotherapy that change can and will not happen without active participation and encouragement. And modern Egypt, I think, is lacking that, and with a government of intense corruption at the top, it's not about to either.
It's a real paradox, and one that I fear won't be answered in anyone's lifetime.
So I sat and ate my Waldorf salad (delicious, I must admit), and nibbled at some samosas and curry that I had selected from one of the hot stations, and looked out at the business of the harbour. Alexandria is one of the biggest ports in the world, and not only were we sharing space with several cruise ships, but also container ships. This I find fascinating to watch as they load and unload these behemoths, and get them underway to the sea.
In the distance, there was also the shorefront of Alexandria, and with the small pair of binoculars that I had been provided with in my stateroom, I was able to pick out some of the highlights. Such as the former sites of both the Pharos -- the lighthouse -- and the ancient Great Library -- both of which had been destroyed centuries ago either by riot or earthquake. So there are two more items off my Great Wonders list.
After having my luncheon, I descended a deck to where one of the open air galleries was glassed in on one side, and you could sit in a cushioned wicker chair or stretch out on one of the loungers, undisturbed by any window or glare. It's quite comfortable, and cruise staff ? with the words 'pool butler' on the back of their shirts circulate around to fetch drinks, and gather up used towels. I spent my time for a couple of hours reading, looking at the harbour, and sipping iced tea. Very decadent, I confess.
Then it was time to go tidy up, and join my dinner companions for dinner. I had opted for the early sitting when making my cruise reservations, which would have me eating at around 6:15, and then able to go to one of the shows in the big theatre if I wanted to. Tonight's conversation revolved a lot around what we had seen in Egypt, and our reactions to it. And it got quite spirited at times too, but no one really argued. At about seven, the lights dimmed for a second as the big ship's engines kicked up, and we made our way out of the harbour. It takes about an hour and a half to leave Alexandria and get to the sea, and it was something to see the lights receed, and we were followed by several other of the big cruise ships that were docked alongside us.
Tomorrow we dock at Ashdod, Israel, and I will be on my way to Jerusalem. I turned in early, settling in with my book, which is alas, not really improving that much. Oh well.
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Member: Rebecca Huston
Location: On the banks of the Hudson River
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Quot libros quam breve tempus!
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