I was invited to my cousin’s wedding in Alexandria, Egypt in January 18, 2015. Although it was extremely cold in Cairo, the capital, it was warm in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. The weather was very inviting to take a walk by the Corniche and to have a good fish meal in one of the local restaurants before we head to the wedding party.
My husband and I decided to spend the night in the historical Cecil Hotel in Ramleh Square. It is one of my favorites. The history of the Steigenberger Cecil Hotel dates to 1929, it was built by the Italian Alessandro Loria from Tuscany, having been commissioned by the French Metzger family. Loria built the Cecil Hotel to be a landmark building, with its elegant revolving doors, two beautiful wooden elevators, and its bar, which was carefully kept unchanged since World War II, making it one-of-a-kind in Alexandria. The rooms have high ceilings and large shuttered windows, and the richness of the classical French-style burgundy and gold drapes, and soft furnishings decorating the space give the place an atmosphere of centuries gone by.
Here are several photos I took in the Ramleh neighborhood and in Cecil Hotel in downtown Alexandria
The Corniche from our balcony in Cecil Hotel
Ramleh Square with the statue of nationalist Saad Zaghloul in the middle
Ramleh Square and the Corniche in the morning
Ramleh Square and the Corniche at night
Corniche Road on a bustling day
Heading to work
Fishermen trying their luck
An ill-fated sail
The lift of Cecil Hotel- Feeling nostalgic
The foyer of Cecil Hotel
The stairs leading to the rooms- Cecil Hotel
My favorite corner at Cecil’s foyer
The Road to Kemet 