Beirut - Day 2
Today was our sight-seeing day. We woke up early-ish and headed off to the hotel where the rest of the gang were staying. After a quick stop at a pastry shop, we were on own way. We had some fantastic Lebanese shawerma and other goodies that we devored on the way to Harissa.
Up and up we drove up the mountain, while the church of Harissa played hide-and-seek. It’s the best ride for people with a fear of heights, of which we had two. I have to say Hussein handled himself rather well, all in all, considering the circumstances. I think driving up and down the mountain in Beirut is quite the skill, one that is developed only with practice. As much as I love driving, I don’t think I could handle the tight, winding roads, the risk of a very, very deadly drop on those curves.
At the top of the moment, we took a stroll around the church, looked at the views and climbed to the top of the tower. After stretching legs, we got back into the car to go down to our next stop: Ra’ousha.
We walked around in the sweltering heat, climbed down some of the rocks and then back to the top. Hussein has having a fit at my apparent lack of maturity. It’s not my fault he has a fear of heights :). So he was generally annoyed at me for hanging too close to the edge. But it’s a good thing I did. I actually got to see a sea turtle in the water right before it dived out of sight.
We finished off the afternoon by having lunch as a seaside restaurant called Babel. Unfortunately for me, the served mainly only seafood including the uncommon shrimp fatta. Everybody loved the food and poor little me had be satisfied with side dishes of ma7shi, potatoes, bread, and dips.
As this was our only party night, something special was planned by one of our friends. He had reserved a table for us at Music Hall. I’d never been and it was definitely a great experience. Located at an old open air theatre, the stage was constantly occupied by different performances, both English and Arabic. The tables were more like lounges set up on steps so that everyone had a view of the stage. The performance did not disappoint, neither did the Lebanese people. This trip on reaffirmed what I already knew, the Lebanese people really know how to party
We watched the entire show and then after a heated debate outside about whether or not to go on clubbing, Hussein and I went home. It was also the right decision, since the rest of the gang went back home shortly after too.