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| Paris In Sites Newsletter Direct From France Edited by Linda Thalman Travel & Leisure Articles |
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Beirut & Lebanon November 2007
By Linda Thalman
Friends eyes popped and chins dropped. Others said 'how exciting'.
And off we went to Lebanon which has been on our 'to visit' list for years.
With temperatures dipping below zero in Paris it was great to
arrive in Beirut Lebanon in shirt-sleeves. Sunshine and warm weather
in mid-November. What a treat.
For our much too short stay of five nights the authorities waved the visa
requirement, we zipped through passport and customs, picked up our
rental car and headed for extreme driving sports in Beirut.
It was a straight shot into the center of town as the airport is only about 10
kilometers south of the city center.
But, then the fun began. It 'only' took about
an hour to actually find our hotel while looking at the views, shuddering at
the traffic and getting lost every two minutes in the maze of one-way streets,
dead ends and negotiating chicanes for security reasons.
I'd booked by phone a junior suite in the Mayflower Hotel in the heart of the
Hamra District of Beirut for 99 USD per night... reduced from 150 USD.
And a lovely suite it was with a flat screen TV, bathroom with a jacuzzi tub,
sofa/lounge area, bar, lots of storage and a small balcony with a view on
the courtyard. For some the view might not have been exciting, but for me it
was a window on the 'real' Beirut.
The Hamra quarter of Beirut is within walking distance of the 'Corniche'.
That is the beach promenade running along the Mediterranean where one
strolls in the evenings or late afternoons.
Many people drive along the beach front, park and then pull out chairs, tables,
a large thermo of tea and even hookas for an evening puff.
Our first Lebanese meal was literally around the corner at the Wahled restaurant
and delightful it was.
Although the place was fully booked for a Friday evening musical
soirée, so long as we freed up the table by 21:00, we could dine - and we did.
Undaunted by the traffic, the next morning we headed north to Byblos by car... only 40 kilometers
north of Beirut, but it was to take us several hours to get there.
Navigating in a new city and a very spread out city like Beirut, we made so many errors
in finding our way north. We were hoping to take the national road that skirts the
coast rather than the freeway.
It was not easy to find. We were confused with the green and
blue signs, not sure which meant the motorway and which meant the smaller roads.
Driving 'Rules' and Tips for Lebanon
I know the classical Arabic words for left and right. I also understand arms flaying left,
right, straight on, curve in the road, up and down in 'sign language'.
I read maps pretty darn well and we even have a compass to figure out N,S, E and W.
But, we got lost again and again in Lebanon.
In the end it didn't matter one bit as we found our way and discovered spots we wouldn't
have visited if we'd been chauffeured around or on a tour bus.
Adventure and extreme sports combined when driving in Lebanon are guaranteed.
The ancient city of Byblos is a 'must' when visiting Lebanon. The old town with a nice souk is restored
to an almost pristine standard.
The Crusader Castle is also a 'must' and do take the time to walk to the port. It's about
three minutes downhill and then have lunch at the Byblos Fishing Club - Pépé Abed.
We were almost the only clients. From our table we had a beautiful view on
the port, and we enjoyed lovely service, food and drinks. The walls have photos of famous stars and personalities
that have eaten there. It is THE place to eat in Byblos and the prices are ever so reasonable.
We made it back to our hotel without too many false turns and the next day, which
was Sunday, we headed for the National Museum in Beirut.
You must visit the National Museum to see the sarcophagus of Ahiram, King of Byblos
with its Phoenician inscription. It dates from the 10th century B.C. and is the star of the collection.
There were two other people in the museum while we visited... it should have been crowded
with tourists even on a Sunday!
We then took a taxi to a quarter near the city center that on any other day but Sunday would have
been bubbling with action - pubs, nightclubs, restaurants, shops.
Alas, not a thing was open. With sheer luck we asked directions from a French fellow
who worked for an NGO in Lebanon. Inviting him for a drink he ever so kindly took us to the
Gemmayzeh Cafe on Gourand Street and gave us the low-down on the current state of affairs in the country.
Wandering back to the Place de l'Etoile we found
it busy with families, youngsters, seniors and 'security', i.e. police and military at 14:30. Leisurely
lunch customers had popped out of the woodwork.
The atmosphere was very 'eeiry'... odd, sort of out of this world. Kids on bikes, outdoor cafes
full of people, a delightful pedestrian zone without the incessant honking and more honking of cars
and taxis.
Barbed wire here and there at the perimeter of the quarter and military personnel and
tanks patrolling the area. Eeiry. No horns, no noise.
Dinner took us to La Paillotte on the Corniche for seafood. One other couple were dining.
Everyone had told us we couldn't leave the country without visiting Baalbeck. We agreed.
Instead we found ourselves south of the airport on the way to Saida/Sidon... we didn't want to go there on this trip.
Chalk it up to experience and frustration, but we did finally get on the road going East to the Bekka Valley.
Having left at 7 in the morning, we reached Anjar around 9:30. An hour and a half behind schedule.
Anjar is a UNESCO Heritage Site with Umayyad ruins.
Other than a small tour group of Germans, we were the only tourists.
Following a tip from a couple from South Africa we spoke to, we headed for the Chateau de Ksara in Zahlé.
And it was indeed worth the slight detour on our way to Baalbeck.
Our guided tour of the cellars was in excellent French by a young Lebanese woman who'd never even
been to France.
Wine was purchased, nicely packed, smiles all around.
Pressing on we arrived in Baalbek and engaged a tour guide of the highest quality.
Khalil gave us the royal tour in French, but he also spoke very good English and mixed his
commentary with both at times.
Absolutely delightful and ever so memorable. Merci Khalil.
This ancient site has huge columns and temples from the Roman era. But the history
of the site goes back to the Phoenicians: end of the third century B.C.
Alexander the Great, Pompey the Great, Julius Caesar were in Baalbek, also known
as Heliopolis (City of the Sun).
Do not leave Lebanon without seeing Baalbek. Outstanding.
The sun sets at 16:30 in November in Lebanon, so we grabbed a quick sandwich
and headed out of town. Of course, we took the wrong road before finding our way
up to the Mont Liban/Mount Lebanon (a mountain chain rather than just one mountain)
towards the Cedars.
Not a car, bus, truck, taxi in sight as we wound our way up and up on the road that was
like a ribbon along the edge of the mountain chain.
It got cooler; then cold and
rainy. Snow was to fall in the night while we slept in the Cedars.
One hotel had rooms for 110 USD. At Mon Refuge the owner said, and I quote: "Pay me what you want."
I did a double take and thought it was ever so strange. I insisted that he name his price.
With a shrug of his shoulders, he said it's not the high season, really, pay what you want. Normally
we charge 30 USD per person. How about 20 per person? Would you like tea in the lobby?
You can have wood for the fire in your room and dinner - whatever you want.
Wow... A fireplace in our 'chalet' lounge, with a kitchen, two bedrooms and bath with a shower.
It was 10 dollars for the wood... and the best ten bucks we've spent in a long time.
The refuge is a modest hotel
that caters to the ski crowd in the height of winter as the ski slopes are minutes away.
The slopes range from 1950 to 3087 meters. Skiing started in the 1920s and it's Lebanon's
oldest ski resort so we were told.
The owners and their staff were ever so welcoming, kind and helpful. Merci Mon Refuge.
Silly us, we hadn't brought our ski jackets.
It was 25 degrees C in Beirut.
The picture postcards of the blue of the sea with a backdrop of snow on the mountains was
really, really true. We saw it. But one note: you cannot drive from Beirut to the ski slopes
in 30 minutes... it takes twice that just to get out of the city.
Early the next morning we headed down the hill. For the first time in four days we knew
our way... it was down and not up; west not east and there was only one road. We didn't get
lost for a change as we headed to Tripoli.
A quick coffee in the quaint village of Ehden and down we continued to Tripoli all part of
the Kadisha/Qadisha Valley - another UNESCO Heritage site.
Finally so soaking wet we wondered if we shouldn't just drive back to Beirut.
But no, we had to see the Crusader Castle on the top of the hill. Again, we were the only tourists.
Men with 'police' written on their jackets were wandering about but they didn't seem to be sightseeing.
The heavy downpour stopped. We drove to the port of Al Mina and had a so-so lunch
at Restaurant 46. Lovely view of the sea, but a rather tasteless meal.
Just 10 kilometers south of Tripoli we stopped for oriental copperware in El-Kalamoun.
Beautifully hand-made in the small shop run by Haj M Abd Majid Hassoun & Sons.
The owner spoke Arabic. My Arabic isn't good enough for a serious conversation.
I can get by with one to ten but after that we used modern technology to
communicate and bargain in a friendly way.
The owner pulled out his handy calculator and showed 85 dollars. I countered with 70 and
we agreed on 80 for two lovely items: a tray and a flower pot holder ('cache pot' in French).
Back to Beirut on the 'autoroute'... light traffic until we hit a gigantic gridlock just
10 minutes from the hotel. Behind schedule again, but not lost this time, just stuck in traffic.
We walked down to the Corniche for dinner at the Lamb House. I found it a rather dull decor,
reasonable food with a so-so view on the Corniche traffic.
On our last evening in town, we went back to the local eatery - Walimat - around the corner.
The rain was pouring down and summer had turned to late autumn.
The airport is just south of the city, so we stopped for a small lunch at the Movenpick
Hotel on the way to catch our return flight.
My, oh my, but big hotel prices are outrageous. Double the prices we'd been paying
at most cafes and restaurants all around the country.
We've taken so many budget flights in the past few years that it was a
shock to get drinks, hot food, real silverware, a choice of 12 films and lots of
room even in economy. The plane was not full going or coming.
We rarely fly from Terminal 2 at Charles de Gaulle, so it was a battle to find our way around.
It is very poorly signed in my opinion and it is one heck of a hike from Terminal 2E just to the
shuttle for the long-term parking lot PX.
Give yourself plenty of time to find your way around Charles de Gaulle. Orly is a smaller airport,
but they are both confusing
and can be frustrating when you are late for a flight or tired from your long-haul trip.
Above all, enjoy your trip and combining a visit to France and Lebanon is doable.
Beirut is just four and half hours away by plane.
French and English are widely spoken in Liban and we were
greeted everywhere with 'Welcome to Lebanon'.
Winery
Restaurants
UNESCO Heritage Sites in Lebanon We Visited
Artisans
Hotels
Tourist Guide
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We're off to Beirut.
WiFi access was 40 USD per week and valet parking for our car was at no cost,
but we did tip for the service.
Our body clock said it was only 18:30 but it was 19:30 in Beirut. So we ate early.
Mezzés, main course, local red wine and tea (albeit tea bags... not so cool) was just
what we needed for our first night.
We purchased two lovely figurines from Karim Salamé, specialized in Phoenician art objects
in the Byblos souk.
We then took a quick look at the Place de l'Etoile... hardly a person in sight. We lunched at
La Grande Cafe across the street - alone.
If only the main road by the National Museum had not been closed for road works, we would
have been directly on the 'Damascus Road' (called that in Lebanon and known as the 'Beirut Road' when in Syria).
A year and a half ago they built a very modern, stylish building with a large tasting room, boutique and reception area.
The UNESCO Heritage Site in Baalbek is stupendous. The Bacchus Temple is almost
entirely still standing. Plan on at least an hour for a guided tour... it was more than
worth it.
In Arabic it is known as Arz ar-Rab; in French les Cedres. If only we'd known Arabic better
we would have had been able to find our way more quickly.
Outside the temperature was at freezing point. The sleet turned to snow higher up on the mountain chain
as we snoozed in our warm bedroom with an electric heater.
The rain started and wouldn't stop. Nevertheless, we wandered about the extensive
souk getting wetter and wetter.
Hey, if we hadn't been in such a hurry I'd have asked for tea and could have... perhaps... bargained the
price down another five dollars. I think I'd have felt very guilty if I'd done that.
Our flight tickets were with Middle East Airlines/Air France.
The plane and crew were Air France and what lovely service.
General Information
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Linda Thalman
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Email – Linda@wfi.fr
Web Address – http://www.parisinsites.com/
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