Hi Rock Stars!
This is Noha from the marketing team.
Taking over for Tom.
Today, I want to share with you a love letter...for an old, historic city that steals the hearts of every one who visits.
I was recently in Egypt for a friend's wedding.
Hosted in Alexandria.
If you've never been, Alexandria is a coastal city at the northernmost part of Egypt.
Founded originally by the Greek king, Alexander the Great.
Even today you can see glimpses of Roman/Greek architecture in the apartment buildings and shops.
But there's also French and British influences left over from the colonial days.
This mix of Greco-Roman and colonial architecture is one of my favourite things about Alexandria.
The big, bright blue Mediterranean sea is another.
Probably my favourite childhood memory of Alex is walking from my grandpa's house to the Corniche (a long pier running parallel to the Mediterranean).
We'd go out after the sun sets...walk the short distance down to the Corniche...waiting for an opening in traffic to cross as there are no dedicated crosswalks.
You quickly felt the welcome cool breeze from the sea waft over as you approached, an unmistakable smell of iodine in the air...
The city bustling with life, shops filled with customers lining up for cold drinks, gelato, and Egyptian desserts.
We reach the corniche and more smells come up: fire grilled corn and roasted potatoes from the nearby stalls.
The ear-piercing flute sound unique to the guy selling bags of cotton candy carried on a stick over his shoulder...
The cafés across the street with chairs and tables spilling out onto the sidewalk, packed with patrons enjoying tea or lemonade and watching people and cars go by...
The distinct yellow and black taxi cabs...each uniquely decorated inside and offering a glimpse into the driver's personality (some had animal or cartoon character bobble heads on their dash, others put up family photos).
Then there's the bustling city itself.
The often hazardous roads local drivers seem to effortlessly know their way around...
The different honk sounds they use to communicate with each other that are like a foreign language only they understand...
If you ever walk around the streets in Egypt you'll notice there are hardly any sidewalks.
People, cyclists, motorbike and car drivers all share the same road. Often moving within inches of each other.
It sounds dangerous, and it can be. But it's quite amazing to watch how smoothly they all navigate the narrow roads.
And if this doesn't sound crowded enough, add in the dozens of stray cats and dogs who fearlessly walk among the people, and share a distinct trait with them:
Knowing how to survive.
Alexandria is a beautiful landscape of ocean, deep history, a rich culture, and a loud unrelenting life force that makes the best of it all.
Not unlike Canada.
Here, life might play out against a different backdrop...
Long winters, sprawling landscapes, and cities that feel orderly in comparison.
But ask anyone who’s built a life here and they’ll tell you that Canada, too, shapes survivors.
Whether you’re navigating icy sidewalks, facing wildlife or trying to grow food in harsh soil...
You learn to adapt.
To persevere.
And to find a kind of joy in making it work.
The details are different, but the spirit is similar: make the most of what you have and don't let the wildness steal your love for your home.
That was my two cents for this week.
Hope you're enjoying your summer!
Until next time,
Your life, your terms.
Noha
Rock Star Team
