Next to Heidelberg, one of the most enchanting places on earth, at least amongst the places that I have visited : -) I was in Beirut for just about 4 days on work - at that time, I could not afford extending these official trips into personal ones : -(
But the memory remains....a letter that I wrote to my friends, and some pics. Visit www.downtownbeirut.com for a visual treat of the city.
Hello people !!! Am back from Beirut - had a smashing, rocking time - I wish I cud've stayed there for ever !! The city is beautiful - it turned out to be totally different from wot I'd thought it would be. The Mediterrean Sea was a stone's throw from my hotel - & with itz waters so blue, it was absolutely stunning. If you thought Marine Drive is happening, you've gotta walk by the coast to see how happening it is - my first day I had lunch at a place rite across the Sea - amazzzing experince.
The most happening place in Beirut is Downtown - the center of the city which also has some of the best buildings (architecturally) in town. All the buildings had been destroyed during the Civil War, & they have actually resurrected all of them by re-doing the exteriors while maintaining the original architecture .
My favorite spot was the Roman Bath Gardens - an area that has a small stream running by the side of some ancient Roman remains (which have been preserved till now),with an ancient Church on one side & an equally old Mosque on the other - itz one of the most breathtaking & serene sites I've ever seen - u feel like uve been transported to a different time altogether - Koks u wud've just freaked out on the architecture & the layout ! T
The lay-out of Downtown is like our own Connaught Place - on a smaller & much prettier scale. The entire area is done up in cobbled stone - has a very European feel to it ..there are shops & Cafes & eateries all around, all of which have outdoor seating. Sitting there, you get a stunning view of the mountains - pity I coudn't go skiing there !
About half of the population in the city is French - & I spent my time there saying 'Bon jour' & 'Merci' & of course, 'Bon apetit'. As usual, my most interesting encounters were with the taxi-drivers - it was fun chatting with them while they took me all over the place coz of the language problem. & oh yes, the day ends at 3 in the afternoon & I had Internet access in my room, apart from MTV & movies of course!!
OK..I can just go on and on...but the gist (!!) of it is that it was welcome break - somehow the city is verry bright & happy,and with Christmas round the corner, it was even more festive - all the trees on the roads had been strung with lights so the view was even more breathtaking at night ..& when ure company pays for you to stay at a posh hotel & gorge on all the food tht you want to (I actually tried controlling my food intake for the first 2 days, but after that, I just gave up!) - well, Paradise's not far.
Itz back to the real world now - but I'm sure gonna put fite to tag along next time something cums up in Beirut - I'd definitely recommend it as a fantastic vacation-spot to anyone interested.
PS: To be honest, the title of this mail is a bit of an exaggeration -I'm neither a globe-trotter, nor did I have any earth-shattering experiences that could classify as adventures, but wot the !!);
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