greetings from Beirut!
i am enjoying the breeze flowing through the windows, carrying in the call to worship for the 3 nearby mosques, the sounds of horns and jack hammers just below...
this is Beirut.
the old, the new, progress and tradition, high rise construction next to bombed out buildings, muslim and christian, if there's one word for this land, it is DYNAMIC.
the traffic is wild, there are no lanes. no public transit, just crazed cabs, very aggressive - always honking at us-we definitely stick out...
i was able to go on a tour of Beirut, which included a trip to the national museum downtown, Beiteddin which is a palace built by the Lebanese prince in the 1700's and Deir El Kamar which was once the capitol of the country and is now a summer resort community in the mountains. i made a friend on the tour, as Hank was working all day. She works for the UN in Haiti.... you never know who you'll meet while traveling!
we made a trip to the grocery store last night, most of the produce is from Lebanon, there was a nut bar, spice bar, pickle bar, and so many other treats to enjoy!
Hank's talk at American University went well, we then visited with the local organizations that they are collaborating with...
we will be checking out of the hotel saturday morning to go touring with our friend Michael and then returning for sunday and monday nights. i will spend my remaining 2 nights with Michael and fly out on thursday and spend the night in Frankfurt with friends.
i will let the photos tell the rest.
more soon.
i hope this finds you all enjoying a wonderful day.
take care,
karengrace
these are phots from Beirut, the palace photos to follow...
i am enjoying the breeze flowing through the windows, carrying in the call to worship for the 3 nearby mosques, the sounds of horns and jack hammers just below...
this is Beirut.
the old, the new, progress and tradition, high rise construction next to bombed out buildings, muslim and christian, if there's one word for this land, it is DYNAMIC.
the traffic is wild, there are no lanes. no public transit, just crazed cabs, very aggressive - always honking at us-we definitely stick out...
i was able to go on a tour of Beirut, which included a trip to the national museum downtown, Beiteddin which is a palace built by the Lebanese prince in the 1700's and Deir El Kamar which was once the capitol of the country and is now a summer resort community in the mountains. i made a friend on the tour, as Hank was working all day. She works for the UN in Haiti.... you never know who you'll meet while traveling!
we made a trip to the grocery store last night, most of the produce is from Lebanon, there was a nut bar, spice bar, pickle bar, and so many other treats to enjoy!
Hank's talk at American University went well, we then visited with the local organizations that they are collaborating with...
we will be checking out of the hotel saturday morning to go touring with our friend Michael and then returning for sunday and monday nights. i will spend my remaining 2 nights with Michael and fly out on thursday and spend the night in Frankfurt with friends.
i will let the photos tell the rest.
more soon.
i hope this finds you all enjoying a wonderful day.
take care,
karengrace
these are phots from Beirut, the palace photos to follow...
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| ruins of the roman baths in the middle of town |
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| roman baths with ottoman army barracks in background |
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| mosque with the maronite church nestled next to it |
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| greek orthodox church just across from the mosque |
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| planned open air museum |
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| new construction after the 15 year war (1975-1990) downtown Beirut was mostly destroyed |
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| Beirut National Museum sarcophagus of King Ahiram, from Byblos 10th century BC the museum was destroyed during the war, there were great steps taken to protect the artifacts inside, large concrete walls were built around each item |
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| detail of the sarcophagus the script is phoenician, a curse placed there from the king's son to anyone who opened it below are lotus flowers- open is life and closed is death |
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| Roman sarcophagus |
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| street corner |
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| new construction next to bombed out building |
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| bombed building, the old architecture of Beirut was quite ornate |
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| deserted synagogue |
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| there are only 200 Jewish residents remaining after the war |
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| curious calico kitty on the campus of American University |
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| coexisting |
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| bombed out highrise |
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