Getting to work in a very international team was probably one of the greatest coincidences in my life so far. Towards the end of 2010, I started to work in my first full-time role and I was lucky, professionally as well as personally, to get to work with people who considered their colleagues not only as people to get some tasks done. Eventually, quite a few of the colleagues from back then became friends. For quite a while, we have been meeting each other for after-works, BBQs and birthday parties and went on weekend trips together. Then, in early 2016, one of those friends asked me for my private mail address. I soon received a short PowerPoint presentation about Lebanon, his home country. Frankly speaking, I did not know much about the country back then – probably something most people can relate to. Following German media, the first things which usually come to someone’s mind when thinking about Lebanon are probably criminal family clans, terrorist organizations and, in general, a failed state. The PowerPoint presentation my friend had sent me was not only a counterdraft to that picture but also an invitation to visit his home county together with him.
Only a few weeks later we were on our way to Frankfurt International Airport from where we had a direct flight to Beirut. We were a pretty omnium gatherum of people: my Lebanese mate, a brother and an uncle of his wife, both German, as well as another colleague/friend, originally from the UK. Luckily, this group did not only just fit into a five-seater, it also got along very well. After our arrival in Beirut, we were picked up by the family of our mate. They arrived in two cars, handing us one of them – nothing less than the precious family car. Beirut’s chaotic and mostly slow traffic was one of our first impressions. Rules did not seem to exist, and our friend joked that once zebras lived in Lebanon but became extinct as no one respected zebra crossings. Eventually, we arrived at the hotel where we enjoyed a first welcome drink at the bar to give our Lebanese mate some time with his family. The beer was quite expensive – something which our hotel bar could not be blamed for as we soon found out. The price level in comparably posh Lebanese places, and there are many, is surely higher than the one in Western Europe, hence, quite possibly, the gap between rich and poor people is enormous.
The first impressions of downtown Beirut were equally interesting and weird. There has been a construction boom that led to many fancy buildings and apartments but at the same time those buildings and apartments seemed to be lifeless – probably caused by many foreign investors, mainly from the Arab Gulf. Next to that, we saw mosques next to churches, which seemed to some degree surreal to me, as many conflicts in the Middle East are often described as being of religious nature in Western media. A few years, a trip to Iran and many books later I believe that this is one of the biggest misconceptions in the Western world: I am convinced that the conflicts are mainly shaped by regional power struggles as they happen anywhere in the world, religion is often only used as a catchy superficial motivation. Lebanon as a sovereign state only really exists since the 1940s and, unfortunately, it has experienced many bloody (civil) wars and assassinations in its young history since then. However, all of those conflicts showed that the battle lines are far more complex than a simple religious clash.
Seeing enough of this surreal part of Beirut, we went to an international street food market to get something for dinner. Many countries were represented – Germany with the “German Donut Burger”. Quite funny considering that neither a donut nor a burger can be considered in any aspect as German. We of course did not travel all the way to Lebanon to have German or whatever food and obviously chose a few small local dishes. One of my absolute favorites: some sort of pita bread with various toppings like thyme, cheese or a combination of them, made on a hot stone. Throughout the trip we really experienced many great, delicious dishes from the Levant, many of them were vegetarian. Ever since visiting Lebanon I think it is quite ironic how we Germans praise the integration of Italians and Greeks, often relating to their many restaurants and hospitality, and legally prevent any occupation of refugees for endless months – many of them would be able and happy to add interesting and delicious spices to our daily diet.
On the next day, we explored more of Beirut, starting with the American University which celebrated its 150th anniversary. The visit was an interesting insight into Lebanon’s world of private schooling and youth. Apparently, the Lebanese youth prefers to speak French as it is supposed to be more chic than Arabic. Afterwards, we drove to Zaitunay Bay, a luxury harbor area for yachts. Not far from there we saw the famous former Holiday Inn hotel which was destroyed in the last civil war, serving as a questionable memorial due to its clearly visible bullet holes. Walking and driving around town, the contrasts between derelict and modern buildings are significant. It is also quite depressing to pass many spots where bomb assassinations happened. Fortunately, such acts of violence have not really happened anymore for quite a while. Still, you can notice the nervousness quite often. Looking for lunch, we drove to a restaurant and on our way we had to pass several police check points. The police was so geared up that it was difficult to tell whether this was really police or military. We were asked multiple times where we were heading and our car was checked for bombs. The reason for all of this? A memorial ceremony for someone in high politics right next to the restaurant where we enjoyed lunch.
Afterwards we were invited to our friend’s place. It was a highly interesting insight into the living environment of Lebanese people. The house’s lift was an adventure in itself as Beirut suffers from an unstable supply of electric power. I will never forget the hospitality of my friend’s family. Having way more difficult living conditions, they tried everything to make our stay as enjoyable as possible, even serving their very best tea. We also met my mate’s cousin and I realized what sacrifices Lebanese families make for their children. They invest a lot into the education of their kids so that they can have a higher standard of living than themselves. That often comes in consequence with a job abroad, making family reunions difficult. Abroad means for many Lebanese people not necessarily Europe because obtaining the necessary visas is not always easy, so they often go to places like Dubai or, more exotic, Angola and other African countries. After these manifold impressions, we started into Beirut’s nightlife with a pub night.
On the next day, we left Beirut to visit the Jeita Grotto which consists of “two separate, but interconnected, karstic limestone caves”. I had seen quite a few dripstone caves so far, but the Jeita Grotto really amazed me. With its incredible length of almost nine kilometers, it is not only unique in Lebanon, it is undoubtedly a world wonder of nature. Next to the cave, I really liked the mountain landscape around it. A bit of a drive further, we reached a skiing area which still had snow and active skiing operations (we visited Lebanon end of March / early April). The mountains are so close to the coast that one could enjoy the beach as well as skiing within just a few hours. Back in Beirut, we enjoyed another delicious dinner and then went to Beirut’s Music Hall. There, we enjoyed more than twenty different music acts from different genres live. The night started with slow French chansons, followed by folkloric songs from the Levant, peaking in Arabic party music. The crowd got more and more into an enthusiastic party mood and the atmosphere was just phenomenal. Lebanon has been praised for its nightlife and there is definitely a reason for it. Maybe all the uncertainty of the future positively affects the way how people enjoy the moment. I think that the night in Beirut’s Music Hall was the best party I ever attended – and it will probably be unmatched forever.
Tired but curios to experience more of this country, we drove to the Lady of Lebanon onthe next morning. The Lady of Lebanon is a huge statue honoring Mary, the mother of Jesus. Next to the impressive statue, the area offers an architecturally great cathedral and outstanding coastal views. There we also met a group of Lebanese pupils, an encounter I will definitely never forget. Back then, tourists from Western Europe were quite rare, and the pupils were very interested in and enthusiastic about us. They asked us about our perception of their country, gave hints what to do and wanted to take pictures with us. We experienced many great moments of hospitality like this, but this one was unmatched and touching. No question, Lebanon’s many stunning sights are well worth a visit and some are unique in the world, but the greatest highlight of all are Lebanese people.
In the afternoon we headed to the town of Byblos, the “land of the gods” as the old Egyptians called it. With more than 7,000 years of permanent settlement, Byblos is one of the oldest cities in the world. Next to relicts from the past and a medieval atmosphere, Byblos, directly located at the coast, offers a great Mediterranean flair. After a horrific traffic jam we eventually arrived back in Beirut where we enjoyed a street food dinner with a delicious chicken shawarma and a fruit cocktail for dinner.
On the next day we were unfortunately bound to head back to Germany. Fortunately, our flight was in the afternoon and we met the whole family of our mate in a restaurant for a delightsome belly-filling brunch. There was more food than anyone could eat and the family insisted on inviting us. On our final drive from the restaurant to the home of the family, we were all happy and relaxed in the car, taking a few more street pictures. By accident, the latter lead to one final remarkable experience. We were passing by the Iranian embassy and the guards saw our cameras and considered us to be spies. Several armed security guards stopped our car but only one of them came close to check the car for bombs. At the beginning, the atmosphere was quite tense, a few Kalashnikov rifles were pointed at us. By looking through our luggage and checking our camera and smartphone pictures the guards swiftly realized that we were indeed tourists and not there for espionage. Nevertheless, they kept copies of our passports and one of our phone numbers. Still, the atmosphere was way more relaxed than at the beginning and the guards started to chat with us. One of the guards told us that he once worked in Frankfurt, Germany, and still had friends there but that he could not visit Germany anymore. His English was not good enough to really explain why but I suppose that he had been a known member of a big dodgy organization preventing him from getting a visa. Ever since then I wonder what it means to grow up in a country like Lebanon. Maybe the lack of perspectives makes you take the wrong street just once and suddenly it becomes a life sentence.
In any case, my visit to Lebanon was in many aspects one of my most impressive trips to date. Lebanon is an incredibly rich country in history, culture and hospitality and yet it is also a complex conglomerate of demographic groups and religions left with a highly complicated governmental system which is suffering from outside interferences and regional conflicts. It surely is debatable to what extent the Lebanese state works at all but at the same time it is incredible how the Lebanese people have been dealing with all of that without ever losing their kindness and happiness.
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Getting goosebumps while reading this! Amazing Simon!
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Thanks 🙂
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