PORT SAID TO CAIRO – 8 NOVEMBER 2025

The first thing I remembered on opening my eyes this morning, apart for the gratitude for another day, was the birthday of my littlest grandchild, Sophie. She's celebrating her 7th birthday today. God bless her, her siblings and her parents.

Once Marom Port Said Resort and Beach confirmed that I could enjoy the luxury of a late check-out, I was at ease. The buffet breakfast was sumptuous consisting of continental and local fare. I took my time over it knowing well that I would be skipping lunch. Many helpings later I left for the forenoon program.

I decided to explore the Port Fouad side first. For this reached the Port Said ferry terminal. I asked Mohamed, the driver, to wait while I crossed over to Port Fouad and did what I wanted to there and returned. A huge metal canopy with well-marked lanes for cars and pedestrians' market out the approach to the ferry terminal of Port Said.

I was uncertain where to buy the ticket and asked a couple of people near the ferry terminal. Though I did not understand them fully I sought of realized that the ferry between the two ports is a free service. In any case, I boarded one of the ferries, due to depart soon, noticing that no one, including vehicles took any ticket. Worse comes to worst, I thought, I would pay it in the ferry.

No one approached me during the 10 minutes journey and I safely disembarked in Port Fouad, the sister city of Port Said. I noticed that there were over 6 ferries doing brisk 'free' business between the two shores. The ferries are operated by the Suez Canal Authority. Indeed, a fantastic mobility solution for citizens and visitors, alike.

The Grand Mosque of Fort Fouad is a stone's throw from the ferry terminal. It is known to be one of the largest mosques in the country and can accommodate thousands of worshippers. I did not go into the mosque but could make out the uniqueness of the architecture from a walk around the premises. A short distance away is the King Fouad Square, who was the King of Egypt till 1936, which bears a bronze statue of the King.

The city of Port Fouad was founded in 1925. The city was designed as a residential area for workers of the Suez Canal. The city has been referred to as the meeting point of the East and the West. Located on the east of Port Said and the Northern entrance of the Suez Canal, Port Fouad sits on the meeting point between the African and Asian continents, making it one of a precious few transcontinental cities in the world. The city's French-inspired homes were arranged in harmony along its beautiful, tree-shaded boulevards.  The villas, though forded off by high barricades, speak volumes of the colonial past.

The Suez Canal is undoubtedly the most significant attraction in Port Fouad. This man-made waterway connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, allowing for direct maritime trade routes between Europe and Asia. Visitors can enjoy stunning canal views from various vantage points throughout the city, including the Corniche and nearby parks. The Mouth, as the meeting point of the Mediterranean Sea with the Suez Canal is called is another noteworthy touristy point.

When I was walking past the quaint old building of the Suez Canal Authority in Port Fouad, nearing the end of the vist to the city, I thought I heard church bells peal. I did not know from which direction the bells were ringing either.

I googled and found that the Church of St. George the Great is not very far from the Grand Mosque of Port Fouad. I walked in and found that the church was open, but empty. The church bells I heard peal, was it a calling from Our Lady? Can't say. But, here I was, inside the church offering solemn prayers and in total submission to the power of the Almighty. With that it was time for me to return to Port Said

I went by car to the Suez Canal Authority building, which I had got a good view of it from the ferry. At the gate of the building that the entrance of visitors is prohibited. I was a wee bit disappointed but quickly moved away. The Suez Canal was designed by Ferdinand De Lesseps. The Universal Suez Ship Canal Company, a joint French and Egyptian enterprise, built and ran the canal in its early years. The colossal statue of Ferdinand de Lesseps was installed at entrance of the Suez Canal at Port Saiid on 17 November 1899 and forcibly removed on 23 December 1956, as a revolt against the colonial era.

The Simon Arzt was Port Said's number-one purveyor of imported goods and a see-and-be-seen destination for the city's many foreign residents in the past. Built in the 1920s, it is now undergoing major renovation works. Its location in the superb boulevard abutting the cruise terminal, where the humongous MSC cruise vessel Armonia was berthed, gives it a strategic location advantage.

I walked along the boulevard and came across the Port Said Lighthouse, which was constructed in 1989 and commissioned a week before the Suez Canal. The octagonal shaped lighthouse is 46 meter high. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1997.

Standing tall at the gateway to Egypt’s maritime soul, the majestic Om El Donia, meaning “Mother of the World”, rises in bronze splendour within the newly inaugurated Egypt Square in the northern coastal city of Port Said. This grand figure is a tribute to Egypt’s enduring identity, drawing inspiration from both the Pharaonic past and echoes of Ptolemaic elegance.

Once this was done, it was time to get back to Cairo.  Back in the hotel I had a quick bath and left for Cairo. The skillful driver got me to my hotel in Cairo, despite the traffic snarls, in less than 3 hours. After settling down in the room I took a stroll to the liquor store and bought 2*500 ml cans of 8% alcohol Stella, which strangely is cheaper than the 4.5% alcohol one! On the way back I picked up a chicken rice and fries' dinner. The Egyptian tour had ended for me.