I posted a similar photo of this statue a few weeks ago and told you that it isn't the original. It turns out that it IS the original. The pollution is so bad that it is deteriorating the statue and they considered removing it and replacing it with a replica, but they it is so fragile that moving it would cause it to fall apart. Carole said they have coated with something to slow the deterioration.

The much sought after donkey cart. I finally got a photo.

The commuter train to Alexandria as seen from my seat.

Stephen and Sarah read the bible to pass the time.

A building at Beit El Salem (House of Peace), the retreat center we visited in Agamy near Alexandria.

Some of us relaxing at Beit El Salem

Folks took it easy at Beit El Salem. They would sit and talk for hours. Kids would run around and play. There was even a ping-pong table. I played an Egyptian woman and won 21 to 18

A white dove on a building at Beit El Salem

Dinnertime at Beit El Salem. I had a grilled chicken.

Eric, Jennifer, Jay and Stephen (who looks like he's crying, but he was fine... really)

Jen

We kept Teri in our thoughts at the beach

Jen and Eric looking at the tide coming in.

Eric and Jay playing in the surf.

Looking back at Beit El Salem from the beach. The dormatory for the guys is on the right side of the picture.

CLICK HERE FOR A PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

There was a bit of a chill in the air and it was very humid. There was a bit of a mist on the beach.

Sarah walked out to the water to take a picture of something.

And then God showed up. No, really isn't that beautiful?!?

A beautiful day at the beach.

I loved the way the sunlight danced on the water.

The 50th Anniversary of Beit El Salam was held in an enormous tent.

We attended at contemporary service with singers and a band that included a guitar and drumset.

I sat at the same table as our translator. He spoke English into a microphone which we could all hear in our earphones.

Words to hymns were displayed on a large screen. The word that you see repeated three times is a transliteration of "Halleluiah."

The entrance to the big tent.

This is a cake. Yes, it was so large four men had to carry it in.

Victor Makari is a originally from Egypt, but he works in the U.S. as an employee of the PC(USA). He oversees all mission work in Europe and the Middle East.

I caught this candid shot of Jennifer during the celebration.

The next morning I woke up and the ducks were still asleep.

I just ran across this, I never found out what it was for, but it looks like it comemorates the 50th Anniversary of Beit El Salem

Three flags on top of a building. I don't know what the one on the left is, perhaps a flag for the Governate of Alexandria. The middle one is the flag of Egypt and the one in the right is the flag of Beit El Salem.

The last time I was at Beit El Salem, I took a picture of this cross. This is the reverse side of the cross.

We left Beit El Salem and ate lunch at a fish restaurant in Alex called Abu Ashraff. This is the display at the front of the store.

I hadn't eaten all day, which was a good thing. I was starving and I think that was the only way I could eat a whole fish. It was a little difficult to eat something that is staring at me.

Carole wanted Jen to eat a whole fried fish. She wasn't into it.

On the sidewalk outside the restaurant they had a very captive "pet" sea turtle.

The sidewalk display outside the restaurant. It has the name of the restaurant written on the side. "Abu Ashraff."

After we left the restaurant, we traveled to a mall. On the way we saw tons of people milling about on their day off. It was a holiday called Eid, I think.

I found this Fuddruckers in the mall. I always love seeing western stores with the names transliterated into Arabic.

Hmm. What could this be.

Jennifer and Carole found this razor brand "Lord" pretty funny. Carole said they should call their three-bladed razor the "Trinity." That's when we started coming up with slogans for the razor such as...
"If it's good enough for the Lord, it's good enough for me"
and my personal favorite
"Jesus shaves."

At the 150th Anniversary of the Synod of the Nile, Emil Zaki, General Secretary of the Synod spoke to the congregation. Behind him is Marian McClure, Rev. Dr. Safwat El Byady (President of the Synod of the Nile and President of the Protestant Churches of Egypt) and man I don't know.
I have been working at the SON with Emil Zaki.

Grand Imam Dr. Mohamad Said Tantawy addressed the congregation with a wonderful speech that sounded very inclusive. He is the Sheikh of Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo.

Dr. Abd Al-Azim Wazeer, Mayor of Cairo, addressed the congregation.

Martha Roy, a 92-year old musicologist who has spent most of her life in Egypt, received special recognition for her achievements.

After the celebration everyone began to swarm out of the church.