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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.

The smog hanging over Alexandria Harbor Our first glimpse of Alexandria would be from the ship as we approached the harbor. From a distance we could see that the city was quite large and spread out, and that the harbor was very active. We also saw massive amounts of pollution and smog blanketing the city.
As we came closer we entered the channel to the harbor which was protected by a large stone breakwater with abandoned buildings dotted along the top. The breakwater to Alexandria Harbor
Derelicts in Alexandria Harbor Entering the harbor we were immediately struck by the vast numbers of different type ships that were anchored in the protective waters of the harbor. Large and small, commercial and military ships were all present, as well as a large number of what I could only believe were derelicts. I could only tell you that I would be very hesitant to sail on them given the apparent state of disrepair they were in.
A Palace or government building As we drew closer to the docks a large, impressive building appeared (believed to be the Ras el Tin Palace). It was large enough to have been a palace or, at least, a government building and had a domed structure in its center. The dock at Alexandria
Bales of Egyptian Cotton
Bales of Egyptian cotton awaiting loading on the ship
A dock worker with lumber
Dock worker transporting something
Dock workers with carts
Dock workers with carts

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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Egypt Introduction Page
Athens : The Acropolis at Night | The Parthenon
Rhodes: Lindos | The Acropolis at Lindos
Alexandria: Port of Alexandria | The City | Roman Ruins and Palace
Cairo: Port Said to Cairo | Sakkarah | Memphis | Life in the Nile Delta |The Great Pyramids at Giza | The Great Sphinx at Giza
Life in Cairo and the Mosque | Life in Cairo and Sadat's Memorial
Luxor: Luxor and the Temple of Luxor | Temple of Luxor (2) | Temple of Karnak | Temple of Karnak (2) | Temple of Karnak (3) | Colossi of Memnon
The Ramesseum | Deir El-Bahari | Valley of the Kings | Shopping in Luxor | Shopping in Luxor (2)
Aswan: Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples | Elephantine Island and Unfinished Obelisk | Aswan Dam | Shopping In Aswan
Israel: Arriving in Israel and Bethlehem | Jerusalem
Kusadasi and Ephesus, Turkey: Surprising Turkey, Hadrian's Temple and Marble Road | Ephesus Theater and Public Toilets


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