Beau Rivage Beirut

... and even today the division still unofficially stands. You can still see some buildings near the green line peppered with bullets wholes. <br><br>The city today is very much rebuilt. We can't help but feeling however that what is an amazing redevelopment scheme just doesn't seem to fit. The down town area is beautiful, but it just seems a bit staged. Everything is pristine but there hardly seems a soul on the street. Coming from bustling Damascus where there are as ...

... of them wanted to check my bag. The Downtown is a true downtown in the New York meaning of the word. Tall modern skyscrapers that mix Eastern and Western influences and wide, well-planned roads flowing between them... Was this city more developed then Istanbul? Although it may as well be, it's a difficult comparison. Istanbul is so vast both in area and population. 1,250,000 Beirutis compared to 15,000,000 Istanbulites... I had never ...

... nominated for the 7 natural wonders of the world (there are 77 places nominated and you can vote on line). Wow! There are 2 grottos. The lower one is visited by boat and is nice, but nothing compared to the upper one which is spectacular! This one is huge (apparently there are only 2 or 3 bigger one in the world, but there not as beautiful) and fantastic! They did a good job with the path and the lighting and didn ...

... hungry and was craving tofu because I thought Beirut may have it. After checking out some Chinese restaurants online though I had no luck. So I decided to walk around and find anything that looked appetizing. Most of the quick restaurants in Hamra, or even more generally in the Arab world, do not have very healthy options. The meals are usually half olive oil half substance and it starts to get disgusting. There's no Subways, Quiznos, Qdobas, or Chipotles ...

... way of knowing at the start how trying it was going to get. I'd booked a transfer to Amman airport from the hotel to make life easier and was joined by a very cute Yeman-based Canadian guy which was a lovely start to the day. The transfer driver asked where we were going and when I told him Lebanon, he asked if I watched the news. I reassured him I was staying in the north of Lebanon, all of the problems were in the south, near the Israel border. He didn't seem to like my answer ...

... in a cloud of dust. These service taxis trips are usually about $1 per passenger, so the value is great but your faith in the vehicle arriving safely at your destination can be a point of great concern. Being a pedestrian in Beirut. This is probably one of the most dangerous things about Beirut and was probably still the most dangerous activity even during the war with mortars flying everywhere. In fact, our guidebook listed walking as the most dangerous aspect about Beirut. However ...

... to be bombed) and enjoy the fine cuisine.

... it must have been a hotel shows clear signs of the war. Private security officers patrol the city questioning anyone who takes pictures of the bullet holes. "Are you a reporter? Why are you interested in taking such photos?" I assume they're interested in protecting their image for tourism. <br><br>I must say I don't like it much here. The city is full of the 22 year-old nouveau riche punks driving BMWs and Mercedes. They pull up to expensive street ...

... blue and clear,very clear like eye's tears . after seaside we went to a tempel over the mountane on the south east of Beyroot. there was a very big church on top of that mountain and also there was a beatiful withe statue belong to holy Mariam. after visiting this good things we had a trip with tele sky and came down into the city. Beyroot was realy beatiful and i like it very much.

... and "Mujahadeen." I sat next to a guy who talked to me halting English. We had a typical conversation for two people who don't speak the same language. Nevertheless, he managed to tell me that he loved Osama B. and wanted to know what I thought of him. He also said that he was going to Syria, and then Afghanistan. He didn't say why, but tell me why a 19 year old guy who loves Osama bin Laden would go to Afghanistan. Someone else later told me that people here tend to say ...