The Idiot — who just passed the 12,000-kilometer mark on his walk around the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria, Egypt — has been MedTrekking in the footsteps of Alexander the Great since he left Pella, Greece, where Alex was born in July 356 BC.
His research, which included participation in the Alexander the Great Marathon from Pella to Thessalonika, continued in November when he began visiting every place in Egypt that Alexander frequented when he drove out the Persians in 332 BC, established a Greek reign and created a new capital in Alexandria.
The Idiot arrived in Alexandria after giving a lecture about the Rosetta Stone in Rashid/Rosetta, Egypt. He strolled to the mouth of the Nile River before turning left and MedTrekking towards and into the bustling and busy Mediterranean city.
The Idiot lectured about the Rosetta Stone in Rashid/Rosetta, Egypt, and urged the return to Egypt of the original stone, found here by Jean-Francois Champollion in 1799, from the British Museum.
The Idiot walked to the mouth of the Nile from Rashid, Egypt, and took a left along the coast until he arrived in Alexandria.
When The Idiot entered the lovely and lush Montazah Gardens on the eastern side of Alexandria, he marveled at the Haramlik Palace.
Then The Idiot hit the city’s iconic corniche and…
…established a base camp with wi-fi and a view of the sea.
The Idiot MedTrekked along Alexandria’s long corniche, a melange of faded and crumbling buildings with occasional chic new complexes like the San Stefano which includes the Four Seasons Hotel and a Starbucks, to the tip of Ras el-Tin (Cape of Figs) and past the grimy port to the western edge of town before he began researching Alexander.
MedTrekking through Alexandria, Egypt, and finding a lovely beach…
…near the Stanley Bridge with tiers of 1920s British-built bathing cabins and nicely manicured sand.
The Idiot celebrated the 12,000-kilometer mark on his ongoing walk around the Mediterranean Sea by taking a selfie with Alexander the Great, who founded Alexandria in 332 BC, in the courtyard of the Alexandria Library where he later went to…
….research Alexander the Great in the world’s largest reading area with two million books — and room for three million more.
Naturally The Idiot spent time at Fort Qaitbey near the former site of Alexandria’s lighthouse, the Pharos, which was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Then he visited numerous sites that contributed to his knowledge of Alexander the Great — and will help him resolve the historical and archeological conundrum concerning where Alexander was finally buried after his death in Babylon in June 323 BC.
The Idiot bought tickets to get information about Alexander the Great everywhere from the museum at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina to the third century BC Anfushi Tombs that blended Greek and Egyptian burial rites.
Was Alexander the Great ever interred in the Anfushi Tombs?
Did Alexander the Great’s corpse spend any time in the catacombs of Kom es-Shoqafa?
Is there truth to the buzz that Alexander the Great’s remains were once at Kom el-Dikka?
Can the Sphinx at Pompey’s Pillar in Alexandria, Egypt, contribute to the heated and controversial discussion concerning Alexander’s final burial site?
The Idiot has left Alexandria and won’t make any pronouncements concerning the location of Alexander the Great’s final resting place until he, like Alexander did, pays a visit to the Oracle of Siwa in the Western Sahara desert early next year.
Bidding adieu to Alexandria as The Idiot MedTreks west towards the famous World War II battlefield at El-Alamein.
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