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Published: July 24th 2009
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I have just finished writing a very long paper for my master’s 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 have decided that after e-mailing this paper to my professor, it is time to have a day that only Beirut can offer. With this request I ask of Beirut, it delivers, and it delivers well. This day is what vacation is supposed to be about, meeting new people, learning more about the world, being awed in moments that words cannot explain and of course, getting lost a time or two. While I feel it is futile to attempt to explain the beauty and character that Beirut offered this day, I will be waiting for the bus up north for an hour, so I feel the opportune moment has arrived.
My first step to have a unique experience in Beirut is to drink the Lebanese local beer. Drinking local beer
in the middle of downtown Beirut while being in the Middle East is simply great. While in Dubai, people are allowed to drink, but the act is seen as so sacrilegious that it must be covered from the public eye and hidden in the dark corners of ‘hotel bars’. However, in Beirut, drinking a good beer in a lively atmosphere on a sidewalk patio can make for a great place to catch your breath and take in the culture. Enjoying the Lebanese food is another part of making this experience richer. Walking around downtown provided me with new feelings about the Middle East. In this, Beirut has often been described as the Paris of the Middle East, and I can now say the term fits well. In the Arabian Peninsula countries, the impression comes off quite strongly that you are out of the Western world. However, in Beirut you can feel and see the traces of how two separate worlds have met and mixed. Perhaps one of the most unique parts though is the two worlds even within Beirut. Less than 20 years ago, Lebanon went through a very destructive and impacting civil war. While Beirut has certainly moved beyond
Inside the dome
This for sure makes my list of top beautiful ceilings. the stage of war, the process of healing and rebuilding cannot be missed. For example, while in the middle of downtown, the buildings are all quite new and provide a very cosmopolitan feeling. Once you leave downtown, nearly every building you see has scars of the war, evident in the stretched barbed wire, bullet holes strewn about and some buildings have been destroyed beyond repair. With the passing of the former Prime MinisterHariri, a memorial area is set up that was constantly visited by passerby’s. Even talking with the people of the city, the conversation of the civil war invokes memories and thoughts that change the mood of the conversation to a reflective and somber tone. I found the memorial downtown of the three figures provided a strong representation of this mood. All the time I felt quite safe though. It’s obvious that the city is moving on. Not to mention the ever present guards carrying M-16’s help to ensure nothing gets out of hand around here.
The next stop off in this journey was to go somewhere I have not been in a very long time, church. Yes I do mean church as in the Christian sense. As
AUB, a beautiful campus
American University of Beirut would be a pretty place to learn at! the pictures show, the church possessed a unique Arabic flavor. I was quite lucky in that soon after I entered, a service began. This was certainly a first time for me to hear a Christian service in Arabic. The people were quite welcoming and nice to me as I watched. While the chanting was quite soothing, I did start to feel flashbacks of being in church all morning, and Beirut was calling to see more places stirring me to move on.
Continuing on the unique flavor of only what Beirut can offer, I decided to go and watch service in a mosque. As shown in the pictures, this mosque was nothing less than impressive. At times inside of this mosque, I was satisfied to simply sit on the comfortable carpet, listen to the chanting and gaze up at one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen, the dome ceiling. Inside here, again the people were welcoming and friendly. While I am used to not being allowed inside the mosques in the UAE, all of the mosques I passed in Beirut were open to me, as well as the open were happy to talk. The impression I have
of the Islamic religion has certainly changed after spending only a day here. Beirut has most certainly succeeded in bringing together two worlds in a harmonious fashion.
After spending my time downtown seeing major cultural sights, it was now time to get down to business, party business that is. I have heard from many people that Beirut is the place to go for partying in the Middle East. For this, I was often referred to Gymazee, a street dedicated to nothing more than music, drinking and good times. To be honest, I think I was so excited to see Western bars that I began to daydream of Las Vegas. In Vegas, the streets are lined with people, bars are blaring music and you can’t help to get caught up in the party. Beirut certainly has its party feel, but it is not as in your face as Vegas is. There were many small bars, the busy ones requiring a reservation. In one bar, I had a free shot given to me by the Arabic owner, another first enjoyed in the Middle East. Another bar showcased sounds that were reminiscent of heavenly joy to my ears, blues. This blues bar,
though 4$ a drink and extremely crowded, was spectacular. Hearing live blues music played well was just another hidden treasure offered by Beirut.
After a couple of drinks and chanting a few mantras that traveling around a country while hung over is painful, I made my way back to my hotel before midnight, starting to show anyone can get wiser with age and experience. I slept quite well and came to the conclusion that after only one day here, I have come to the right place for vacation. Beirut has really opened my eyes to how diverse the Middle East can be.
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