Third Day in Egypt: On the Road to Alexandria

Inside the Manial Palace

Hmm, what to do...Our train from Cairo to Alexandria wasn't scheduled to leave until 1400 hours, so there was some considerable time to kill before leaving for the station. Checkout time at the Safir Hotel was a generous noon, so my wife was content to remain in our room until then. I (and by extension, my daughter, though she didn't really have much say in the matter), on the other hand, wanted to see some more of Egypt's capital city before we left. A look through my guidebook and on GPS indicated that the Manial Palace (Mathaf Al Manial - the Palace-Museum of Mohammed Ali) would be an interesting place to visit, as well as a short Uber ride away from the hotel. And so that's how Amber and I found ourselves on a Sunday morning at the early-20th century palace complex of Prince Mohammed Ali, an uncle of King Farouk. Our exploration of the complex started with the Moroccan-style clock tower:

Inside the mosque:

The prince was apparently an avid hunter:

The real highlights of a visit to the Manial Palace, however, are its Reception, Residential and Throne Palaces. The exteriors and interiors are a mesmerizing blend of European, Moorish, Ottoman and Persian styles. Somehow it all works:

In my travels I've visited numerous luxurious residences in Asia and Europe, but the Manial Palace was my first taste of Middle Eastern aristocratic splendor. Color me suitably impressed:

Amber and I reunited with Shu-E back at the hotel, and the three of us had lunch around the corner at Cilantro, an Egyptian Western-style cafe chain:

Another Uber ride dropped us off at the chaotic streets around Cairo's large Ramses Station, where we made our way inside and boarded our 1400 train to Alexandria:

Egypt's railway system is an antiquated one, and its coaches have clearly seen better days, but the first-class compartment was comfortable, and we pulled into Alexandria's Sidi Gaber Train Station virtually on time 2¼ hours later. The scenery en route from my seat:

It was a short taxi ride from the station to the Tolip Hotel, our home in Alexandria for the next two nights. For only $177 a night, we had a two-room unit on the seventh floor, each with its own balcony overlooking the Mediterranean. The presence of a private beach across the street made me wish we had traveled to Alexandria during the summer:

For dinner that evening we ate in the 11th-floor seafood restaurant:

Just as in Cairo, Alexandria's traffic never seems to sleep (though we could):

The next day we would plunge into that traffic in the city founded by Alexander the Great...