After the congestion of the catacombs, I decided I would simply walk the streets for a while. I stopped ten minutes later at a coffee shop. The place clearly didn’t see many tourists, but the lovely staff member knew enough English to understand coffee, little sugar, and I enjoyed myself, watching the other customers play backgammon and pass the time.
After a few chapters of Ian Fleming, I continued to walk, with the vague aid of Google Maps, towards the Mediterranean Sea. Purely by accident, Google sent me to Saint Mark’s Cathedral, and I decided to have a look. I went through a metal detector, and then was approached by a policeman who asked for my passport. After a cursory check (Australian? Yes) I was informed I could collect my passport when I left. Nervously- never like having my passport out of sight or not locked away- I continued on through another metal detector in case I managed to acquire a weapon in the last fifteen seconds, and entered the secure compound.
A nearby wall explained all the security. 9th of April 2017, an ISIS suicide bomber fufilled his title at the cathedral- the seat of the Pope of Alexandria, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church- killing seventeen and wounding forty-eight, as part of the Palm Sunday Church Bombings.
A pretty alleyway featured a display explaining the pilgrimages of Saint Mark, and I took delight in knowing I had been to some of these places in my own travels. Considering that Saint Mark was born in what is now Libya, travelling to places such as the Holy Land, modern Jordan, and Turkiye would have been a considerable undertaking.
I had a quick look in the cathedral, which like most modern churches, I didn’t find particularly interesting. But I did put the US dollars the police officer foisted on me in their collection box, thinking that the Copts would have solid arrangements to take advantage of international currencies.
On the way out and collecting my passport, I had a good chat with the police officer about the bombings and the security. I shook his hand and told him I hope he always gets home safe. It was a nice moment of sincerity.
Adrian's Got The Moose 