This was our ‘free day’. The day I put in to relax. Good thing too. How could we leave Alexandria and not go to the beach? The Sheraton has a small beach front for its guests just across the road. A well maintained, well staffed beach front.
But first was breakfast. The Sheraton breakfast is the one thing that beat the Grand Pyramids hands down, so far the only thing. In many ways they were similar, both had a large breads selection, a juice section, cereals, meats and cheeses, fruits but the Sheraton’s is nicer, presented better, maintained better. They have a coffee machine that can give you espresso or cappuccino or regular coffee. Beats anything GP had. At any rate we had a wonderful time eating and relaxing.
Then we hung out up in our rooms. I enjoyed 45 minutes of free internet time, making sure I downloaded everything first before I ran out of time so I could read offline. By 11 a.m. everyone was ready to go to the beach. We dressed in our swimwear and headed on down to the sea shore.
The Mediterranean Sea. I couldn’t tell at the time but our vista over the sea faced west (sunset at night revealed that) even though the shoreline in general faces north. A beautiful day, not as hot as the previous day. Sunshine and a light breeze. Tents were available on the beach so we found one and put our stuff down. We went out to the water, which was just right. The temperature was roughly the same as Lake Huron in summer but of course it was salty. The waves were gentle yet strong enough that one got a taste of the salt water if one didn’t watch for the next wave. So everyone swam or built sand structures or read in the tent.
What a mixture of people even on the exclusive Sheraton beach. There were no Muslim women in complete black burkas swimming (I have seen that, imagine an Amish woman in daily dress floating in the water). But there were plenty of Muslim women in full length modern swimwear. One was in black from head (niqab or hijab) to toe but in pants and top that clung to her. There were some that were dressed fully but didn’t get into the water. One Muslim girl, I think, was in a bikini. The little Muslim girls were in ‘normal’ swimwear, like the kind my girls were wearing. Then there were a handful of us westerners including one young woman who didn’t want to have any tan lines. Needless to say I was curious if there was such a thing as the ‘moral police’ here. But no one seemed to pay too much attention (she untied all strings but didn’t go topless).
All along the coastline the beaches have been full of vacationers. Mostly Egyptians but still quite a few foreigners from the west, from Arab countries and even Asia. The blue and white umbrellas were a ubiquitous site on the beaches wherever you looked.
We might have stayed there all afternoon but for hunger overtaking our daughters. We came back, showered and changed (well I did) and went to Chilis once again. We were trying for a lighter (and cheaper) lunch. The bottomless chips and salsa, nacho plate, a couple of drinks with free refills and desserts. But Chilis succeeds in making money any which way you order. Nevertheless it was good. I keep telling myself ‘we’re on vacation’.
The rest of the afternoon was rest and relaxation. An afternoon siesta, the girls going down to the pool, watching the shootout on the big screen in the Sheraton bar, Caesar Inn, between Japan and Paraguay (Paraguay is through, Mennos in Paraguay must be delirious with joy), having supper in the Italian restaurant and going to bed. The girls swam particularly hard and were wiped out.
One last day of Alexandria tomorrow, Wanda has already said she isn’t looking forward to going back to Ethiopia. Vacations are meant to be a nice break and that is what this has been.
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