When my friend Sara told me she was moving to Lebanon for a boy, my first thought was not 'Wow I'm so happy for her,' nor 'I wonder how she will cope with the change,' but 'When can I visit?!' Fast forward a few months and I found myself en route to a country not often associated with the idea of a relaxing holiday.
Lebanon is a name that can sound, to those of us who listen with only one ear to the news, dangerous and unstable. However, I've never been one to play it safe, and knowing that my friends wouldn't allow anything to happen, we set about exploring this amazing country.
I arrived late on Saturday night, and in true Sara Brenwald fashion, was awoken early on Sunday morning with a cup of tea, big smile and the enthusiasm of a ten year old child :) We were booked on a walking tour, but wanted to visit a local market beforehand. The market was an assault to the senses - sights, smells and sounds, and a bargain to be had. We found an amazing old globe amongst all of the rubbish - anything you could possibly imagine buying was on sale, from kitchen utensils to monkeys (and that includes the kitchen sink)! From there we headed into downtown Beirut to start a walking tour of the main sights. It was so fascinating to learn about the city's troubled history - the now infamous Holiday Inn, which was a central part of the 1980s war - still stands, riddles with bullet holes and with trees growing from the upper floors. Contrastingly, it is surrounded by a multitude of new high rise building, including the controversial redevelopment of the entire downtown area (formerly the green line).
The city contradicts itself at every turn; run down, bullet-holed apartment blocks stand side by side with pristine developments hosting Gucci and Prada. The ancient St. Georges Cathedral is dwarved by the imposing Al Amin mosque. Here, Christians live side by side with Muslims in a state of tolerance, if not exact harmony. During my time in Lebanon, I was overwhelmed by the friendliness and acceptance from everyone I met - Maronite Christians, Shiaa and Suni muslims, Westerners, Russians, Syrians, and even a Hezbollah member - all were warm and welcoming.
We rang in the New Year at a bar with but a few of Samer's many friends and cousins, but true to form, the next morning Sara had us up and out - sore heads and all - on the way to visit Mleeta, a remote corner of south Lebanon near to the Isreali border. Here, members of the resistance movement known as Hezbollah have turned their stronghold into a museum to show their commitment to protecting their land against Israeli attack. Having known next to nothing about the conflict, I was eager to learn as much as I could from our guide, Ali, who had studied in Glasgow and therefore had the best Scottish accent I'd ever heard from a non-native Scotsman! Ali was not a fanatic, but wanted to tell his story and show us that Hezbollah is not fairly represented in the media. I won't get into the nitty gritty, but if you're interested to find out more about Mleeta visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourist_Landmark_of_the_Resistance
When traveling, I love to visit the people who live wherever I am, as I find this is the only true way to get under the skin of a place. So I was thrilled when Samer's parents invited us to their house for dinner that evening. Having warned them we were full from lunch, we were nonetheless not surprised to find the table heaving with food - all of it homemade and none of it easy to refuse! The food in Lebanon is my idea of heaven - hummous, vine leaves, babaganoush, taboulleh, etc...
The next day was my birthday, and I was given my first surprise of the day in the form of an avocado with candles in it (having said that all I wanted for my birthday was a ripe avocado and a cup of tea)! We had been planning to go inland to visit the Roman ruins of Baalbek, but decided against it when we heard reports of a shooting on the Lebanese grapevine. Travel to Baalbek is advised against by the British Government, due to a small but significant risk of kidnapping. Thinking of my family (and children at school) I followed my head and decided against taking the risk. Instead, we went to the beautiful Palace of Beit Eiddine in the mountains. Built in the 17th Century, it is here that the President has his summer residence. The architecture was stunning; a mix of Islamic, Turkish, and Christian influence, representative of Lebanon itself.
On my last day, Sara braved the Lebanese roads - think of the worst driving you've ever seen, and double it - to take us to visit the town of Harissa where you can see miles upon mile of beautiful Mediterranean coastline from a lookout point in the hills, reached by cable-car. We also went to Jeita Grotto, a system of underground caves wrought by millions of years of water erosion. The caves were spell-binding, the formations of stalagmites and stalactites topping any architecture conceived by the human brain. In the afternoon we took a last trip into the city to visit Beirut Museum. Badly damaged during the 1980-90s conflicts, the exhibits were sealed in giant concrete blocks to protect them from bullets, bombs and looters. We saw some beautiful treasures dating back to pre-roman times, and conversely lots of exhibits which left us scratching our heads in confusion - in particular pottery which looked as though it had been made by a 5 year old!
For
my last night we went to Beirut's famous Musichall, a venue which
showcases and mixture of traditional and modern performances. It summed
up the unique cultural mix of the country - East meets West,
Christianity meets Islam, traditional modest living meets Bourgeois
indulgence. Lebanon is one of the most fascinating countries I have ever
visited, and home to the warmest people. There's so much to discover, and with a hotline to the best
tour guides around, I know I will be back to find out more.
Lebanon is a name that can sound, to those of us who listen with only one ear to the news, dangerous and unstable. However, I've never been one to play it safe, and knowing that my friends wouldn't allow anything to happen, we set about exploring this amazing country.
I arrived late on Saturday night, and in true Sara Brenwald fashion, was awoken early on Sunday morning with a cup of tea, big smile and the enthusiasm of a ten year old child :) We were booked on a walking tour, but wanted to visit a local market beforehand. The market was an assault to the senses - sights, smells and sounds, and a bargain to be had. We found an amazing old globe amongst all of the rubbish - anything you could possibly imagine buying was on sale, from kitchen utensils to monkeys (and that includes the kitchen sink)! From there we headed into downtown Beirut to start a walking tour of the main sights. It was so fascinating to learn about the city's troubled history - the now infamous Holiday Inn, which was a central part of the 1980s war - still stands, riddles with bullet holes and with trees growing from the upper floors. Contrastingly, it is surrounded by a multitude of new high rise building, including the controversial redevelopment of the entire downtown area (formerly the green line).
We rang in the New Year at a bar with but a few of Samer's many friends and cousins, but true to form, the next morning Sara had us up and out - sore heads and all - on the way to visit Mleeta, a remote corner of south Lebanon near to the Isreali border. Here, members of the resistance movement known as Hezbollah have turned their stronghold into a museum to show their commitment to protecting their land against Israeli attack. Having known next to nothing about the conflict, I was eager to learn as much as I could from our guide, Ali, who had studied in Glasgow and therefore had the best Scottish accent I'd ever heard from a non-native Scotsman! Ali was not a fanatic, but wanted to tell his story and show us that Hezbollah is not fairly represented in the media. I won't get into the nitty gritty, but if you're interested to find out more about Mleeta visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourist_Landmark_of_the_Resistance
When traveling, I love to visit the people who live wherever I am, as I find this is the only true way to get under the skin of a place. So I was thrilled when Samer's parents invited us to their house for dinner that evening. Having warned them we were full from lunch, we were nonetheless not surprised to find the table heaving with food - all of it homemade and none of it easy to refuse! The food in Lebanon is my idea of heaven - hummous, vine leaves, babaganoush, taboulleh, etc...
The next day was my birthday, and I was given my first surprise of the day in the form of an avocado with candles in it (having said that all I wanted for my birthday was a ripe avocado and a cup of tea)! We had been planning to go inland to visit the Roman ruins of Baalbek, but decided against it when we heard reports of a shooting on the Lebanese grapevine. Travel to Baalbek is advised against by the British Government, due to a small but significant risk of kidnapping. Thinking of my family (and children at school) I followed my head and decided against taking the risk. Instead, we went to the beautiful Palace of Beit Eiddine in the mountains. Built in the 17th Century, it is here that the President has his summer residence. The architecture was stunning; a mix of Islamic, Turkish, and Christian influence, representative of Lebanon itself.
On my last day, Sara braved the Lebanese roads - think of the worst driving you've ever seen, and double it - to take us to visit the town of Harissa where you can see miles upon mile of beautiful Mediterranean coastline from a lookout point in the hills, reached by cable-car. We also went to Jeita Grotto, a system of underground caves wrought by millions of years of water erosion. The caves were spell-binding, the formations of stalagmites and stalactites topping any architecture conceived by the human brain. In the afternoon we took a last trip into the city to visit Beirut Museum. Badly damaged during the 1980-90s conflicts, the exhibits were sealed in giant concrete blocks to protect them from bullets, bombs and looters. We saw some beautiful treasures dating back to pre-roman times, and conversely lots of exhibits which left us scratching our heads in confusion - in particular pottery which looked as though it had been made by a 5 year old!
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