Beirut and Byblos

It has taken me a very long time to update my blog because I have been swamped with finals. Also, I find it very difficult to put into words my experience in Lebanon. I have wanted to visit Lebanon for a very very long time. Anyone who knows me understands that my heritage is German and Lebanese. In high school I had the amazing opportunity to backpack through Europe and visit Germany, which was an amazing experience. Since, I am studying Arabic and Middle East history and culture Lebanon has always been an interest of mine. Thus, this trip was a dream come true for me. After studying in Cairo for several months, it was also a great opportunity to experience a very different area of the Middle East.
My friends and I flew into Beirut from Amman, and what a great way to enter Lebanon. The runway in the Beirut airport in literally attached to the Mediterranean, so it looks like the plane is attempting to land on the sea. My first impressions of Lebanon was that it was very different from Cairo. There is definitely much more globalization than Cairo, which I didn't think was even possible. The dress of people in Beirut is exactly similar to in the US and everyone speaks at least 3 languages (Arabic, French and English). Beirut is very beautiful, set directly along the Mediterranean and with a very cosmopolitan feel.
My Mom's cousin lives in Beirut and she was very generous in letting us stay in her extra apartment in a Christian neighborhood in Beirut. The apartment was beautiful! That first night her sons took us out to a beautiful and delicious Lebanese restaurant and then out to the bars. I must say the night life in Beirut is incomparable to any place I have been in the world. Needless to say our first nights in Beirut we got very little sleep. The food in Lebanon is the best food I have ever eaten. Normal meals in Lebanon take hours and the common meal is small dishes that everyone shares called mezze. A typical meal included several salad dishes (hummus, tabouleh, baba ghanoush etc), many meat dishes (kebbeh, kofta, kabas, etc), Lebanese bread, yogurt, potatoes dishes, and more! Lebanese food is incredible!
The next day we took a day trip to Byblos which is about an half hour north of Beirut along the coast.
On the way to Byblos we stopped at Nahr al-Kalb which is a side of a mountain. This mountain has carvings from conquerors and empires who were in Beirut. These explorers include Ramses II, Marcus Aurelius and more! Then we traveled on the Byblos which is a beautiful drive near the mountains of Lebanon!
Byblos is a very famous Phoenician town which was known for trading. Byblos is considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world! This becomes very apparent when you visit the old cobblestone roads and old souqs (markets). The interesting ruins we visited were a crusaders castle and roman ruins and amphitheater. The crusader castle was very cool to explore and get a cool view of the city of Byblos and sea. The city of Byblos is very cool, has a very large ship yard and shopping. Afterward we stopped in a random restaurant to have another large Lebanese meal. We returned to Beirut and that nights went out again to the bars of Beirut!
On the way back to Beirut we stopped by several important Maronite sites. We visited the Monastery of St. Maron and the Shrine to St. Charbel. These shrines were very interesting to visited because they are frequently visited by Lebanese Maronites. The Monastery was a very old and interesting building. I do not have any pictures to share of these unfortunately because they don't allow cameras in the area. But I loved visiting them!
Beirut definitely made me miss my family, but it was cool to think of our family history tracing through this beautiful country!

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