Short visit to Beirut, Lebanon, I can see why it was once the Paris of the Middle East
It was only 2 – 3 weeks ago when I was told very last minute I would be going on a 3 day trip to Beirut,. At the time I was concerned however I have come back ecstatic having seen such a beautiful city.
I was working in one of my clients offices at the time when the owner of the company came back from his 2 week trip to Dubai and said to me “Adam I potentially have some work for you. If you want it you need to come pitch with me in Lebanon next week”. I looked at him puzzled trying to take in what he had just said. There was me thinking the following week would be the same old routine with my home in the countryside and the next thing I know I am planning a week away in a city I literally have no information of.
With me not liking to miss any opportunities (come to think of it that is why I am on Steem) I said yes first and then started Googling around exactly where the hell I was going. My geography of the world is not fantastic and trust me, looking at where Lebanon is on Google maps and reading the UK government’s travel advice did not encourage me at all. Despite that and the cautious advice from friends and family I went anyway and I am so grateful I did.
I am sharing my experience here to show that you shouldn’t always believe everything the travel advice websites say. Lebanon is one of the few Arab countries that are on UKs avoid travel list yet after my few days in Beirut it was one of the friendliest communities and most beautiful places I have ever been.
So, I have a few pictures of Beirut to share and the hotel I stayed in. I am gutted I did not get any pictures of the food there as that is absolutely fantastic. However as you can imagine I did not get much time to appreciate the travel side of things as I was there primarily for business.
Pic from the hotel balcony.
Pool view.
Marina in Beirut.
Landscape of the city from the water.
Another marina we found whilst exploring at night.
The city skyline looks even more beautiful at night.
Overall the trip was incredible and it really changed my initial perception of the country and city. I would recommend to anyone to go a see it however I am biased as I was with people that knew the country well and knew all the amazing places to go and eat.
The worse part for me was returning to the UK. Despite the huge signs in the airport saying “Do not bring laptops, tablets or power banks onto the plane”, I walked right up to the gate with a laptop, Nintendo Switch and a power bank... I had to check my laptop and Switch onto the planes cargo and leave my power bank in the lost and found in Lebanon airport. Despite that, it was still worth the trip.