weekend in beirut

it has been a lovely, low-key weekend in beirut.

saturday was spent at byblos, the home of the alphabet. it also sits on the seaside, and is known for fresh fish restaurants and its sea views.

delicious muttabel (like babaganoush) with pomegranate. so good!

this is for sarah s: tabbouleh! it was very tart... but nisrine told us that adding some salt and some olive oil would even things out :)

and of course, the fish. although it's rather scary looking here!

after lunch, i went to byblos castle, which was built in the 12th century. stunning views of the city and of the sea!

the ruins in the foreground, the city and the sea in the background

remnants of old columns

view of the castle

today was yet another beautiful day in beirut. this morning, i wandered over to the national museum. i have to say - it is a must-see destination. during the war in the 1990s, the museum and its contents were badly damaged - many of their large statues were protected using concrete boxes that were built around the artifacts. smaller pieces, such as pottery, figurines, and jewelery were broken and mangled. after years of restoration work, the museum reopened its doors. its collection is small but tells the history and influences of many empires on lebanon.

this stunning mosaic of the seven wise men was preserved through the war, and is the first thing you see when you walk into the main foyer.

one of my favourite pieces - a painted glass bottle

these are little wee figurines two or three inches high. they were very bizzare!

this is my new friend, colossus :) he was flanked by two little sphinxes. something i love about this museum - you can get so close to the artifacts! (a few times i wanted to reach out and touch... but i held back :)

for lunch, i was invited to dine with the family of my regional director. it is mother's day today, so we went to his mother's home, where she had been cooking up a storm. two types of fish, roasted chicken lebanese style, served with a dough and chickpea stew, rice with a spinach-like vegetable, spinach pies, roasted oregano with pita bread, vine leaves stuffed with tomatoes and rice... it was all so delicious! two types of dessert (a napolean cake and a home-baked orange cake) later... it was time to walk back to the hotel, i was so full. no pictures, for those of you that might be salivating... since it was a family meal, i thought they might find me very strange if i asked to take photos of all the food! :)

tomorrow is my last day in beirut, and the last day of my wonderful adventure (i swear, i have been doing work!). back to toronto on tuesday...