7 curiosities from Lebanon

It is still one of my favourite countries, inhabited by some of the kindest and most resilient people I’ve met.

They’ve been going through very hard times undeservedly (I talk often with the friends we made there). Part of the resistance is not giving in to the fears and low frequencies, but keep living your life. And this is why I decided to write this piece!

 

The neighbourhoods and buildings of central Beirut

From Hamra to downtown, you feel like walking along a rich part of the Lebanese capital. Gemmayzeh (labelled Beirut’s neighbourhood with the greatest French influences) follows. We loved its steps, energy, and interesting buildings, which were full of vegetation!

 

The narrowest building in Lebanon

The Grudge or Al Ba'sa was built in 1954. It measures 60 cm in its narrowest part. It was born from a feud between two brothers who couldn’t decide how to split the land inherited from their father. Eventually, one built a house on the narrowest part of the land, blocking his brother’s sea view.  

 

The biggest pomegranates and the tastiest avocados

The fruits and vegetables are delicious in Lebanon. The abundance of water makes them grow; the mild weather (even in winter) makes them tasty! Lebanese cuisine is famous worldwide because it originates from a country with exquisite ingredients.

 

The most dangerous place in Lebanon

We only found out that Hermel was that dangerous upon arriving in town. We went to raft the River Assi and enjoyed our time there. We read the dodgy stories afterwards.

 

Vertical kilometres

The high density in Lebanon required settlements built seemingly one on top of the other, on the mountain ridges (it is a mountainous country!). It’s still unclear how we exited a town, drove on, and then found another town even higher, where we didn’t think we would discover any trace of civilisation.

 

Sea salt heaven

Anfeh is a welcoming village delighting its visitors with terrific (sea) food. If you wish to buy sea salt, head to St. John the Baptist Orthodox Monastery (as a kind local turned friend would recommend us). You can purchase sea salt bags of half a kilo and leave the money in a box (in December 2023 we paid USD 1/kg).

 

The Druze community

All around the Shouf cedar reserve, we bumped into people adhering to one of the oldest religions in the world. With them, I could talk about reincarnation without issues.

 

There are so many things to discover in such a small territory, but rich on all levels!

This is Lebanon. ♥