Visiting museums can be mentally taxing as they require a great deal of focus and concentration. During our first few days in Athens, we didn’t feel up to visiting a serious museum because we were still recovering from our schedule of intense sightseeing in Egypt. We probably still weren’t ready, but on our last day …
The Acropolis is a symbol of Greek history, civilization and culture. It is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world and arguably the most recognized landmark in the Western world. When we first arrived in Athens, the driver that drove us from the airport to our Airbnb told us that construction in …
Our first order of business before we could start any sightseeing was to visit a shopping mall. We picked River West, about 15 minutes away from our Airbnb because it has a Decathlon. We lived less than 10 minutes bike ride away from a Decathlon in Shanghai and over the past 7 years, it had …
Even though we have never lived here or even spent time here, arriving in Athens felt like coming home. I recognized that sense of familiarity and to be blunt, it came from being in a developed country. After a month traveling through Egypt, we finally could have any type of cuisine that we craved and …
Our month in Egypt has been an eye-opening journey into the history and culture of one of the world’s oldest civilizations. When we selected Egypt as one of the 12 countries we would spend one month in, our initial ambition was simply to see the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and visit some temples and …
By the time we got to the catacombs, the kids were already getting the idea that Alexandria sat at the crossroads of three great civilizations, Egyptian, Greek and Roman. The Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa is famous for precisely this reason – the tombs and features within the crypt merge the cultures and beliefs of …
Kom el Dikka sounded familiar because it is also the name of the Agri-lodge where we booked many of our activities when we stayed in Tunis Village in the Fayoum Oasis. I was surprised to see the same name here in Alexandria and wondered what it meant. Kom el Dikka means “mound of rubble” and …
When Dina told us about the Graeco-Roman Museum, we were eager to visit because it would provide the perfect segway from our exploration of Ancient Egypt to the next stop on our trip, Greece. We didn’t know until we arrived how fortunate we were to be among the first visitors to a 100-plus year-old museum …
The Citadel of Qaitbay was built from 1477 to 1479 by the Mamluk Sultan QaitBay to defend Alexandria from the Crusaders. It was built on the site of the famed Lighthouse of Alexandria, which was already in ruins by the early 14th century. The citadel likely contains recycled stones from the lighthouse. Since its construction, …
Our first stop after lunch was to the New Library of Alexandria, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, which is Latin for Library of Alexandria. The library was opened in 2002 and is completely modern in its appearance with its most prominent feature, a giant angled disc that appears like a sun emerging from the Mediterranean Sea, fully visible …
