I finally had the opportunity to visit Lebanon after hearing many stories of the summers my wife spent there with her family. Added bonus that my daughter was able to come. A new country can never come to life until your own feet touch the ground. I found Lebanon to be a dynamic, complicated, chaotic, and vibrant country. I recommend it for anyone wanting an entry point into the Middle East. From the amazing food to vistas that span mountains to the beach it's truly an amazing place. You'll immediately feel that it has seen war. A lot of war. Israel and Syria are Lebanon's neighboring countries and their presence is felt to this day as Syrian refugees have flooded the country. Bullet holes and abandoned homes litter the landscape but the feeling of hope and resiliency is palpable. It will always be complicated here but it adds to the sense of adventure.
I spent much of my time staying with family in Sin El Fil which is a suburb of Beirut and not overly photographic. However, Ain Saadeh where other parts of her family lived in the mountains had stunning views down to Beirut and the water. I saw many of the tourist destinations that a first timer would see including Byblos aka Jbeil (the oldest continually inhabited city in the world) which was an incredible city on the Mediterranean (video is from a restaurant on the water), the Cedars of Lebanon (about 2.5 hour drive into the mountains), downtown Beirut, Raché (rock formation just off the shore of Beirut), Lazy-B beach, Ksara winery, (started by monks), Jeita grotto (world class rock formations), and Mounir which has the most incredible mezzé in the world. Next time I'm in Lebanon I want to get to Balbaak. Enjoy some of the photos!
I spent much of my time staying with family in Sin El Fil which is a suburb of Beirut and not overly photographic. However, Ain Saadeh where other parts of her family lived in the mountains had stunning views down to Beirut and the water. I saw many of the tourist destinations that a first timer would see including Byblos aka Jbeil (the oldest continually inhabited city in the world) which was an incredible city on the Mediterranean (video is from a restaurant on the water), the Cedars of Lebanon (about 2.5 hour drive into the mountains), downtown Beirut, Raché (rock formation just off the shore of Beirut), Lazy-B beach, Ksara winery, (started by monks), Jeita grotto (world class rock formations), and Mounir which has the most incredible mezzé in the world. Next time I'm in Lebanon I want to get to Balbaak. Enjoy some of the photos!
RSS Feed