Starbucks Series 4... Alexandria

My Starbucks Series idea fizzled after only three videos in Korea, but was spontaneously resurrected one afternoon in Alexandria, Egypt.

This time, Andrea and I brought friends and the randomness continued...

Bibliotheca Alexandria

Launched in 288 BC, the Ancient Library of Alexandria attracted scholars, poets, mathematicians, and scientists from a variety of cultures. Inside its walls, the great thinkers of the past studied as children and researched as adults. People such as:

1. Aristarchus,

the first to state that the earth revolves around the sun, a full 1800 years before Copernicus.

2. Eratosthenes,

proved that the Earth was spherical and calculated its circumference with amazing accuracy, 1700 years before Columbus sailed on his epic voyage.

3. Callimachus,

the poet, described the scrolls in the Library organized by subject and author, becoming the Father of Library Science.

4. Euclid,

wrote his elements of geometry, the basic text studied in schools all over the world to this day.

5. Herophilus,

identified the brain as the controlling organ of the body and launched a new era of medicine.

6. The Septuagint,

the first translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek, was created.

7. Manetho,

chronicled the pharaohs and organized our history into the dynasties we use to this day.

- information from the Bibliotheca Alexandria website

Over time, the library suffered a gradual decline and fell victim to an accidental fire and neglect. By 400 AD, the library had vanished and only its memory remained. In 1974, a committee of people from Alexandria University had an idea to revive the old library. A competition for the architectural design of the building was held in 1988 and construction began in 1995. Finally, in October 2002, the Bibliotheca Alexandria was completed.

Its modern design, immense size, and technologically advanced features make it the most famous library in the Arab world. Currently, the collection includes around 650,000 books with a capacity for 8 million. The library also includes one of the largest computer systems in the world and a new one-of-a-kind machine called, the Espresso. Once finished, the Espresso will be capable of printing and binding any book ever written within 20 minutes.

Alexandria by the Sea

Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, Alexandria is the second-largest city in Egypt and the country's former capital. Its location on the Mediterranean Sea makes it the largest seaport in Egypt serving 80% of the country's imports and exports.

After spending time in Cairo and Luxor we were thankful for the cooler temperatures, but not as thrilled with the pounding wind. Nevertheless, the seaside town was beautiful and a welcomed change of scenery. Our group of six was now down to four and it would only be a matter of days before we entered the last country on our trip... Turkey. In the meantime, we enjoyed the relaxing pace of Alexandria and recharged our batteries once again.

Sheep and goats waiting to be slaughtered for the Muslim holiday, Eid.

Perhaps it was better they had no idea of their fate...