http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Middle East , Lebanon , Beirut en-us Sun, 03 Jan 2010 23:40:34 +0000 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 23:40:34 +0000 Hi all just quick note from Beirut where I have holed up for 4 days afraid to leave the building. Just Jokingthe city and country are lovely. The Lebanese have made great strides with reconstruction and the people are so welcoming. Beirut is chaotic the driving is unbelievable but you feel so safe here. Army checkpoints are frequent but this adds to your sense of security. The women http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-463001.html I have to start with this article i read from OctoberNovember issue of Time Out Beirut... In each edition theres a Tribe of Beirut section commenting on the social groups within Beirut this one targets Westerns in Beirut Some background info is needed it talks about Fiskeans... Robert fisk is an English Journalist who has been living in Beirut for years he was one of the few journalists http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-460433.html This entry is taking forever to write although I really would like to do it justice But anyways I think the title says it all. Van's fallen in love for the second timeThanksgiving thank goodness I had the day off from class. Its really nice that Eid alAdha coincided with everyone's break back home. Two nights before my roommates had thrown together a lovely turkey dinner and invited fr http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-457258.html Our first stop in Lebanon was in Baalbek where we saw what was claimed as the largest rock in the world. The guide said that this was not true but it was still in the top 3 largest rocks. We then went to some ruins which were pretty cool. The guide did share a lot of really confusing facts with us which at this point I canrsquot remember any to share with you. We then had lunch at this caf http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-451163.html Hi Kefec cava was one of the first things i heard when i came off the plane from Ciaro... its a great reflection of what life in Beirut is like a major mixture of colonial french with a western influence ontop of a strong middle eastern culture. Ive been in Lebanon for over two weeks now no i wasn't kidnapped by Hezbollah ive just been... 'busy'... I still cant believe im in the middle east http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-450649.html So next stop Lebanon. Having spent a wonderful few days relaxing in Damascus it was time to pack up all of our belongings in the world into our very little bags again to get back on the long and winding road. This time we went for a little luxury as I was getting bored of slumming it all the time yes all it is Dee speaking this time around and we got a service taxi to bring us over the bord http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-444359.html While my family spent day 4 on a trip to the south of Lebanon including tours of the historic sites of Sidon and Tyr I spent the day meeting with friends at NDU. While I apparently missed quite an experience including Israeli jets overhead toy guns and a traffic nightmare it was really great to spend a day meeting with those people I have gotten to know over email from NDU. My trip to the U http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-438255.html A few months ago my mother told me she and my father were contemplating a trip to Lebanon for my father's 60th birthday. The Lebanese influence from my father's side has played a huge role in our lives and considering we've never been because of troubles in Lebanon I of course really encouraged the trip. Things finally were solidified only about 2 months ago for my parents Melissa and I to s http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-436490.html Lebanon for a monthMaking it back up to Rome from Lipari was a task. A whole day of travel from morning to night. We checked into a hostel over night and went out for a few drinks to celebrate our last night in Italy.The next day it was simply too hot to walk around so we napped a little and caught the train to Rome Fiumicino where we boarded Olympic Airlines with a 3 hour stop over in Athens b http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-426870.html When we started planning our trip to the Middle East we knew we might receive mixed receptions from the people we would meet and that Americans are not well regarded in this part of the world. We had been to Jordan and Egypt a few times and had always been warmly welcomed but we did not know what to expect in Syria and Lebanon. We knew the US pulled Americans out of their Embassy in Syria we kne http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-422035.html I have just finished writing a very long paper for my masterrsquos pertaining to the expansion of human rights. Work while on vacation I have reached the level of being a true profession in making my life sometimes truly annoying. While it was pleasant the day before to read and research the ideas for the paper on the rocky and colorful coast of the Mediterranean on the Corniche in Beirut I http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-421815.html Beirut the Paris of the Middle East as it has been previously called seems to be reclaiming the title. The New York Times has ranked it 1 on its list of 44 places to visit in 2009 .What is it that makes this a mustsee placePeople walk around the streets with a bandage on their nose and bruised eyes as if it were trendy. Move over L.A. Beirut is the new Silicon Valley of the World. You need http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-414427.html Boarding the plane to Beirut already gave me a glimpse of what the city would be like fashionable people young Lebanese children speaking in English or French instead of Arabic. Women were dressed in sleeveless tops and skirts above the knee attire that would be frowned upon in Cairo andor would attract some unwanted attention. The fight to Beirut is short only taking one hour. The city lo http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-410243.html It should take around a couple of hours to get to Beirut from the Syrian border but on the outskirts of Lebanonrsquos capital things changed. Soldiers patrolling the main road helicopters flying above. Traffic going nowhere. I knew Lebanon had some problems but tanks Machine guns the whole way Was this the right decision to divert the Middle East journey Lebanon is one of the most confusin http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-407134.html On our last few days in Lebanon we hung out around Beirut. One of the places we visited is a few miles out side Beirut on a mountain overlooking the city where a statue of the virgin Mary stands called Harissa. This is a very big pilgrimage site for Christians in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East. The statue is very large and beautiful and can be seen from many different areas in Beirut. The http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-402967.html 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 a http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/-/blog-401476.html I came alone in Beirut for work taking a night flight 100 am from wonderfull Athens airport runway full of green red and yellow lights ar night. I was very anxious to check that Middle east AIR and landscape was as what I had seen on TV for Beirut.But slightly when in centre of city I was thinking I was in any European city centre but more hardcore on stone and modern constructions. Const http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-396823.html Day 20.290409Teamwork across differencesI woke up with butterflies in my stomach it was about 8am and my aunt had already gone to work I knew this was going to be a long but highly experience full day and it all began with the experience of walking all the way up the mountain road to my aunts workplace that was quite a tough walk. Anyway so I got there and I asked for my aunt and a li http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-395080.html Day 19..270409A day at elementary schoolI woke up at around 8am my cousin was leaving to school yesterday we planned that I should go with him and have a day at school with him but he was having a test in the morning so I had to come at around 10 anyway so I made my breakfast and a cup of tea and watch the rest of LOTR which my cousin had been watching so clock worked itrsquos way http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-395079.html Day 15.240409Welcome home granddad.Yesterday at night my granddad finally got home from the hospital still unavailable of moving his right hand side of the body and still talking gibberish but hersquos home and it has definitely brought joy over the building to have him here. last time I mentioned that I would save a few lines about transport and I thought what would be a more suited http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-393549.html