Embaba Bulaq 20150607 MVI 8686

From Embaba to Bulaq
Everyday I travel from the island Zamalek via Embaba on the Westbank of the Nile to Bulaq on the Eastbank. The best way to do that is to take the old railway bridge of Embaba. It is a beautiful structure of cast iron. The parts are held together with innumerable bolts. It is in two levels. Level 1 is in principle for the double railway track, and that has on either side a double road for everyone else. On level 2 are two pedestrian bridges, that are sometimes used by bikers. From the upper level the view is even more splendid.
The bridge must date from the time of the British occupation of Egypt. It is very old, anyway, as I am assured by more than one taxi driver. When I asked once whether it could date from pharaonic times, the driver, after some reflection, had to laugh and answered that it was not. 'Stupid foreigner', he thought, no doubt.
Halfway the bridge one sees the Nile, that majestic river, in upstream direction (South) with part of Cairo's skyline. One also sees the Northern tip of Zamalek, where I live, with the conglomerate of tents that houses the brasserie Left Bank, a Japanese restaurant and also the prestigious restaurant Sequoia.
Once one is on the Eastbank, the way goes through part of Bulaq, a neighbourhood with a great number of smaller industries, mostly in the field of metal and wood. Modern (cars, trucks) and ancient (horse and donkey carts) freely mix here. Sometimes people take a rest and sit and drink a tea. Several teahouses cater for their needs.
Sometimes I have to give the driver instructions, and you can hear that in the original video. Halfway the little film he put on his radio , not realizing that he was freely providing me with background music for my film. YouTube has automatically removed the sound track for reasons of copyright.
At the end of the film, we drive again through Bulaq, in the street where once was the State Printing House. It is the backside of the National Library and the old building of the National Archives. The entrance of the nursery for the children of employees of either institution distinguishes itself by friendly colours and silly Disney drawings.
This short video was taken through the windscreen and the side-window of a Cairo taxi on 7 June 2015 at around 12:00 hrs.

Видео Embaba Bulaq 20150607 MVI 8686 канала JakartaAnthony