(^32) Alexandria - Baltim – 140 km
Finally, the stormy weather cleared, and we could resume our journey. The coastal
route led 140 kilometres east in Port Said’s direction, along a flat road with a
tailwind.
I knew it had to happen at some point. In the process, the route passed over the
Nile delta, where the river drained into the Mediterranean, an unimpressive place
for such a mighty river, consisting predominantly of farmlands along canals.
Tailwind-assisted Baltim was reached in good time, primarily a holiday resort in
summer, but deserted in winter, without a soul in sight. The digs discovered were
dusty and one could tell the room hadn’t been used recently.
Baltim - Port Said – 140 km
The next morning, the weather was mild and the breeze still in our favour and we
gunned it to Port Said.
Port Said was the place one could stroll along the Cornice to view giant cargo ships
and tankers move through the Suez Canal, an impressive scene by anyone’s
standards. Ernest was fascinated by ships and staying another day to eye these
giant ships going in and out of the canal came naturally.
Port Said - Ismailia - 87 km
Departing Port Said was on a beautiful sunny day, and biking was pleasurable as
we picked up a slight breeze from behind.
Ismailia made an excellent midway stop en route to Suez. Ismailia was established
while building the Suez Canal in 1869 and named after Khedive Ismail, the
founder of the canal. The city was initially created to house European engineers
and labourers who worked on the channel. To this day, Ismailia has a European
atmosphere and French architecture.
leana
(Leana)
#1