Librarian Mecca: Bibliotheca Alexandrina!

 As many of you know, I happen to have an occupational predilection towards libraries.  They excite me with their stores of fantastic knowledge and excellent organization.  Also, the big deal ones?  They tend to be kind of architecturally gorgeous.  Also:  books.  They've got them!  For all these reasons and more (as in, hello opportunity to visit the worlds first library even though the original was burned like six times so it's really not the real deal but whatever), I was stoked to visit the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.  And let me have you know: it is worth a trip.  I gasped when I walked in.  It is really that impressive, huge, and flat out architecturally gorgeous.  I want to go to there every day.  I want to work there.  I want to sneak in and live there in the way that the kids in From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler live in the Met.  No joke.  Am I gushing?  Is the Pope Catholic?  Deal.  I warned you of my occupational predilection.  

Alexandria Part Two

Photo essay, as I am on my way to catch an overnight train to Luxor.  I spent the day at the pyramids.  It was...overwhelming.  But I'll post on that later!  Enjoy some of my photos from Alexandra, the port city/former home of Cleopatria.  Maybe you've heard of her?  Sadly no pictures of her here. The only thing I did not take a picture of were the crypts.  I have never been claustrophobic or especially afraid of the dark.  But you know what?  I have always had an active imagination.  And when a place that is normally crawling with tourists featured just me and nobody else underground, wandering around in a crypt (the bodies were removed), where I had to walk around on planks of very unstable wood in places due to flooding, let me tell you: I gladly walked into a tourist trap and willingly followed around the "guard" who was the only other thing with a pulse two stories down.  I even tipped him.  Twas really cool, especially the mashup combo of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian funerary carvings in one area.  But I'm pretty sure it was responsible for my freaky dreams last night too! (I will devote a special post to the library because, hi, I am a librarian).

A pita maker in Alexandria

Alexandria

More on yesterday's day trip to Alexandria later, but I'd just like to leave you all with this image.  This will for SURE make you sleep easy, PopTart:

One of the many, many tanks I've seen in Egypt, but the first I have posed in front of. 
I particularly liked noticing that the writing on the tank is all in English...generally indicating American made.
Well done Team America.

 The other best part of this endeavor?