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Before continuing let me explain the trip's itinerary so you understand
where we are at this point. The tour was a combined land and cruise
of the Aegean Sea. Leaving Athens we would sail to Rhodes, from
Rhodes to Alexandria, Egypt. In Alexandria we would be free to explore
for the day then board the ship for the overnight sail to Port Said,
the port city for Cairo. At Port Said we would disembark and begin
our week long journey through Egypt. During the week we would be
in Egypt, the Atlas would complete its circle tour and return to
Port Said where we would again board the ship for the rest of the
cruise portion of our trip. From Port Said we would sail to Israel
for a day, then to Kusadasi, Turkey, the port for the ancient city
of Ephesus, for a day, then stop on the Greek Island of Patmos before
returning to Athens.
Leaving Rhodes and sailing to Alexandria was an exciting time for
Anne and I. Our expectations were set very high having seen much
on the history of ancient Egypt. Arriving at Alexandria I have to
admit we were both in for a shock. Up until this time, 1984, Anne
and I had traveled extensively throughout the United States, western
Europe and the Caribbean Islands, but we had never visited a country
like Egypt and we weren't prepared for it. We may have been naive
at the time basing our expectations on what we knew of ancient Egyptian
civilization and culture. Arriving in Alexandria we would find ourselves
in a culture much different than expected. It was a shock at first,
but we managed to become accustomed to it quickly and adjust accordingly.
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The dock at Alexandria was a very busy place with lots of activity
going on all around us. As we waited for the ship to tie up to the
dock we had the opportunity to watch some of the comings and goings
of the dock workers and were surprised by the lack of modern machinery.
There were, however, many workers moving about pulling carts laden
with various objects from one place to another.
Shortly after the Atlas docked at Alexandria we prepared to leave
the ship for a free afternoon roaming around Alexandria. It would
prove to be a valuable insight for Anne and I as to what we could
expect for the balance of our time in Egypt.
Continue to the next page to enjoy some photographs taken during
out limited time in Alexandria.
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