We finally gathered the family together to eat breakfast and went into the open kitchen. Not untypical fare; a runny oatmeal (I think), fuul beans (but not mashed) and boiled barley (again, a guess). There were also boiled eggs, an assortment of fresh veggies and aish baladi. We all took the oatmeal and added cinnamon sugar, coconut and other ingredients in a charming 6 jar set next to the oatmeal.
As we were eating, Bishop Thomas approached us to greet us good morning. In my mind this was my last chance to talk with him so I quickly re-introduced us by reminding him of his visit to AMBS over 15 years ago. I inquired about his accident and his health and about how the Anafora Retreat Centre came to be. I also talked about our current jobs as CR’s in MCC Ethiopia and our work with churches there. It interested him enough to sit down and we had a good conversation about peace projects. I felt good about our conversation. He invited our daughters to come and volunteer someday for a time at Anafora. That would be exciting to me (perhaps one of them will remember and do it). Before we left we took a photo together.
So then we traveled to the Saint Bishoi monastery in the Wadi Natrun Desert. Only it wasn’t a desert anymore. To my great surprise (and some disillusionment), the monasteries are no longer in the desert. Wadi Natrun city has encroached on the monasteries. Now there is development right up to the gate of the monastery. I couldn’t believe my eyes at first. I wonder how it all came about. The monasteries survived the Berber invasions in the 300’s, the Muslim invasion and rule for the past 14 centuries but now something more insidious is happening to a way of monastic life, encroachment by society. Yes, there is a brand new church and new dormitories for the monks. It’s good to have farms and orchards now on monastery land for their use. And it is wonderful to hear that the monastery has gone from 7 monks some 20 years ago to over 118 monks today, so the tradition will continue. But in what way will it continue?
Our guide was a monk Rouis and he was a friendly monk. The longer we toured with him the more jolly he became (as we got to know each other). In the end, after I told him I had visited the Bishoi monastery 20 years ago and had lived in Egypt and worked with the Coptic church, I think that warmed him up to us. At one point another monk passed him on the stairs and warmly greeted him, giving him some communion bread. He said something to the monk, I think he was saying something like we were Orthodox or friends of Orthodox and the monk turned and offered us a piece of the same bread. That was when I felt welcomed at the monastery. We got a photo with Father Rouis and we exchanged email addresses. He is eager to learn more English although I don’t know how I can help.
The morning was quickly disappearing by the time we got in the minivan and left for Alex. Mohamed offered lunch choices once again and our girls, once again, chose McDonalds. So just before Alex on the desert road, at an exit that looked very much like an interstate exit in NA, we went to a McDonalds for lunch. The desert highway is transforming everything commercially.
We arrived in Alex in the afternoon and in the heat started our tour. The minivan has a good a/c and we were all just fed and watered so we were up for it. We visited ‘Pompeii’s Pillar’ and the catacombs underneath the site. Again the Egyptian Antiquities Ministry has done amazing work in 20 years. I remember a pillar and nothing more but now after an excavation the whole thing is walled off and a visitor center is up and walkways constructed. It was impressive. This should be Diocletian’s Pillar, by the way. He was loved as much by the Alexandrians as he was hated by the Christians. The Pillar was a grateful gift to him for his benevolence but somehow his name didn’t stick.
We then went to ‘Kom Shuqafa’ catacombs where Romans and Egyptians of high standing were buried. At least 30 meters underground the ancients created large spaces and put the bodies of loved ones in little chambers. Later Christians, during times of persecution, worshipped in this space. For our girls, going underground was at least cooler than the hot summer sun above.
We finally got in the minivan and drove from western Alex to the eastern side of the city through small city streets and finally along the corniche. All along the way, where there was any beach and sand there were thousands of blue and white umbrellas and thousands of people. A day at the beaches. The buildings along the corniche attest to the diversity that once was Egypt; Italians, Greeks, etc.
We found the Sheraton on a busy corner on the east side. There will be nothing quiet about staying here. Anafora silence is only a memory now. But the beds are soft. However all did not start out well. After a pleasant check in we went up to see our rooms. What cramped quarters! It was like rooms on a ship. When we opened the girls room we were even more shocked, everything was still a mess. The beds were unmade, glasses and cigarettes doused in them, lights on, TV on. So we went downstairs. The front desk was surprised and apologized. At first they promised to clean it up. But I got a second phone call which then promised an upgrade to a suite with an adjoining room. I accepted. Although this upgrade still wasn’t as big, space wise, as at the Grand Pyramids, it was much more satisfactory than the first set of rooms. That felt better. But two things remained annoying; the lack of World Cup games on TV and the internet policy. Yes, they offer 40 minutes free but not on one’s one computer, you have to go down to their computer place. The cost for 24 hours of internet is almost $30 USD. That’s what it costs for a month in NA! I’m afraid I didn’t respond well to a young woman who went to access the 40 free minutes for me. I thought I would get an access code but she is the one who must do that every time. It seems like a waste of time, an absurdity. Nevertheless we must play by their rules, however absurd.
Our evening ended with a dinner at Chilis. Yes, that same Chilis which is the North American restaurant found in all the large NA cities. We ate a late supper like all the Egyptians normally do, after 8 p.m. It was good food and a pleasant walk from the hotel. Back at the hotel we washed away the sweat and grime of the day in a very nice shower and watched the Brazil-Chile game until we couldn’t keep our eyes open any longer. The game was effectively over by half time anyhow, with Brazil up 2-0. One more day to finish the round of 16 and be left with the ‘elite 8’ (to mix a NCAA basketball tourney term in the mix).
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