In 2009 we realized a dream. Nicole and Danielle graduated from college and we were able to go to Lebanon and stay with Assaad and Gladys Najjar , Walid’s parents, in Bishmezzine for one month.
We welcome you to join us on our trip!
Caren, Nicole, and Danielle
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Marhaba!
Monday, June 1, 2009 6:56 pm
Hello Uncle Assaad, Aunty Gladys, and Walid
Hope all are well.
Nicole, Danielle, and I just finished watching 3 of the UNESCO DVD’s and we jotted down some
sights we would like to see. Please feel free to change anything. The funniest thing is that what they
are most excited for is the food!!! They are funny.
Kooba
Douma
Hamet (?)
Jdeda Marjayoun (Where my in-laws are from)
Visit Mother Marion
Beirut:
Night clubs
Beaches
Shopping,
Eating
AUB
Hamra Street
Eating!
Shawarma at Yum Yums on Abdulaziz if still there!!
Kaslik Yacht CLub with Albert
Tripoli
Kooba
Batroon
Becharre
Cedars
Byblos
Jbail
Bekka Valley
Baalbek (can we go to a concert?)
Jounieh
Casino du Liban
Jeita Grotto
Beit Mary
Broumanna
Beiteddine
Anjar
Sidon
Tyr
Qadisha Valley
Harissa
Zahle
Chouf
Did I miss anything? I am so emotional about going. I keep crying! I am so
excited to show my girls where their families came from. They are so excited.
Danielle wants to hike…maybe the falls you sent us in the email Walid.
Thank you for this great opportunity!
We look forward to seeing you in less than two weeks!!
Love,
Caren
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Marhaba From Assaad Najjar!
DEAR CAREN:
No, you did not miss anything except Bishmizzine. Anyway you will have a chance to see this village.
Be sure that you will be seeing and visiting all the places you jotted down.
Let us know which of the Lebanese dishes Nicole and Danielle like. We will have that ready for them the moment they arrive at night.
With regard to your donation to the school, we will take it up when you arrive
We are waiting for you-hurry up.
Best regards to all. Gladys and Assaad
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Allo Beirut!
Sunday June 14, 2009
Marhaba All!
We have arrived! There is no better way to describe our arrival
than by comparing our two flights:
1. LAX to Heathrow on Virgin Atlantic:
Very sweet English flight attendants calling us “Dears and Loves.”
Quiet flight. Lots of Brits and Americans. Arrive London…no big deal.
2. BMI (British Midland) Filled with Lebanese!!! After we take off
the “no seatbelt” sign turns off. They announce:
“Stay seated with your seatbelt securely fastened and no unnecessary walking
around the cabin.” Ha Ha! It is one big party! The children are running wild around the
cabin. Danice met everyone on the plane and knew their entire family history
and reason for being in Lebanon. (I think we were all related by the end of the flight!)
No one was in their seat, everyone was walking around socializing.
The flight attendants were not happy with the chaos…they’re Brits, they’re used to order.
We were greeted by Amo Assaad and Aunty Gladys. We had two cars with drivers.
I was wondering how they were going to fit 12 bags into the trunks. Anthony said, “This is
Lebanon! They put all the bags in and tie a rope around it all!” They did.
Their tradition is to bring water bottles and croissants for the ride to Bishmezzine.
We will never go hungry! We arrived in Bishmezzine with freshly cooked Grapeleaves, Kibbee,
Koosa, Laban, and delicious Lebanese salad. Heaven!
We slept ’till 3pm this afternoon. Today is rest day. Tomorrow is Beirut and AUB.
Love to all of you!
Bouses,
Caren
p.s. My Arabic is slowly coming to me! (Unlike French!) I am surprising myself with how
much I am remembering. I understanding a lot more than I can speak, but I am catching up!
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Beirut
Monday, June 15, 2009
Marhaba All!
We are jet-lagged! We went to sleep at 5:30 this morning and woke up at 8:30 to get ready for our van and driver. We headed straight to Downtown Beirut! Downtown is the new Hamra street!
Flashback: Hamra street was the Rodeo Drive of Beirut 34 years ago.
Downtown is the new Rodeo Drive! It is fabulous. It is all the original run down buildings refurbished with designer stores, restaurants, coffee houses, and Hookah bars. The flats are modern and more beautiful than anything I have seen in California.
“Shoes!” Yes, they are my daughters! Edna, Gina, Jeanice, and Danice’s neices! Marni’s granddaughters! We went crazy over the shoes. So unusual! Nicole and Danielle definitely are coming home with at least one new pair of shoes. (We didn’t have time to shop today.)
Flashback: 36 years ago, Marni, Edna, Danice, and I were cruising the back alleys of Hamra street for the best bargains and most unique shoes. Edna and I chose very high platform cork sandals. Mine were white and hers red. We had those shoes for a very long time. No one in LA had shoes like those!
We will return to shop in Downtown…Shoes beware!
Albert Vitale m et us Downtown and gave us a tour of Ras Beirut (one of the sections of Beirut where AUB is) in our van. We passed the all girl Catholic School our Sitto (grandmother) went to when she was a young girl. Aunty Gladys’ mother was her classmate. They were not allowed to look at men. They walked with their hands shielding their eyes. If a man was walking on their side of the street they were to cross over to the other side. Very strict nuns!
We were making our way to AUB!! I was quietly feeling very emotional about it. From the highway you can see the characteristic red tiled roofs of the buildings and the green of the Banyan trees. (Large trees with roots cascading down to the ground from the branches.) All of this over looking the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. The campus was as breathtaking as I remembered. There are more guards and more security, but it is still the most beautiful campus.
I pointed out the buildings and rooms where my classes were held. I shared some stories like the one where I entered my French class on the first day of school to a room full of people speaking “fluent” French. “Excuse me!” Silence. “Is this beginning French?” “Yes.” Again, fluent French being spoken throughout the classroom. “Excuse me!” Again, silence. All eyes on me. “Will you be speaking English in this class?” “Yes.” I survived being the only American and only person not raised speaking French.
Flashback: My dormitory, Building 56, was no longer there. It was attached to the AUH (hospital). It was torn down to build a parking structure for the Medical students. Many of the shops around AUB have changed. Yum Yum’s is no longer there….where I ate a Shawarma almost everyday for lunch. The shop that sold the hot “manaeesh” for breakfast was gone. The “bouza” store was not there any longer! A chocolate, banana, and strawberry ice cream, daily, on my walk to the dorm! My old food “stomping grounds” gone!
We met Walid’s Aunt and Uncle for the “new” fad in ice cream…Oslo brand. Very good. Not the same “bouza.” Then we spent some time walking Hamra street. Hamra street…the new (run down) equivalent of the old “downtown!”
Great day! Lots of memories. We are loving it. Back home to Bishmezzine and a table full of amazing food made with Tofu instead of meat for Walid’s vegetarian brother, Nabil.
Bouses,
Caren
p.s. Mosquitoes!!!
p.p.s. Sorry it’s so long!!!
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Byblos
June 17, 2009
“Sabah An’nur” Family!
That means “good afternoon” which is what it is! We slept in until 3 pm! We are never
going to get this right!! We sit together at night talking and watching DVD’s. Once it
gets past a certain hour, we re-awaken and can’t sleep! Don’t worry! Our eating schedule has not been altered because we eat constantly all day and night long!!
History lesson: Yesterday we went to Byblos, which is also called Jbail.
It is easy to fall in love with Byblos. It is a beautiful ancient fishing harbor with Roman ruins.
There is a Crusader castle and a restored souq (market place).
It is one of the oldest continually inhabited towns in the world (as is Oxford, England).
In the Bible, Byblos is known as Gebal. The Crusaders called it Giblet.
Byblos is known as the birthplace of the modern alphabet. The ancient name of Byblos
is derived from the Greek word bublos which means papyrus. Byblos was
once a stopping place for Phoenicians who came here for papyrus shipments on
their way to Egypt.
History lesson over (sort of)!
“Our driver,” Habib, dropped us off near the center of the city. We visited the church of
St John the Baptist dating back to medieval times. We then went across the street to the wax museum. It
was all underground and felt like the catacombs. Madame Tussaud would be proud!
Poor Anthony, our token man, has been tortured with our shopping. He has been such a good sport. When we
reached the Crusader Castle it was his time! He came alive! We all did our best to keep up with him. He
was intent on walking every part of the castle and the grounds. The castle was built in the 12th century from large stone blocks
from Roman ruins. The best part of our visit was the breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea from the tops of the
ramparts.
When we were sure that Anthony was satisfied, we stopped for lunch. Uncle Assaad and Aunty Gladys
met us at a Fr ench restaurant overlooking the sea. We ate mezza, shish tauk, kibbee, and fried fish.
Looking out at the harbour we immediately thought of Elias!
The fishermen appear to be standing on the water! They are actually standing on quays
(pronounced “keys” …thank you Nicole) which are remains of ancient wharfs or docks. Byblos
was famous for being the hub of world commerce. This is where they would
load ships carrying cedar wood to other parts of the ancient world. (History again!)
We then did some shopping in the souq. Danielle bought a towle set, I bought some worry beads,
NIcole bought a kaftan, Marina bought bracelets (not gold), Danice bought a bathing suit top (No, not an ancient,
medieval one…quite a cute one). We also bought some B&W postcards of pictures of Lebanon from the 1930’s
and 40’s. Nicole said, “Look Mom, this is what Lebanon looked like when you were here!” Aren’t children a blessing!
We stayed till sunset. Came home to a delicious meal of two types of umjadra. One was the typical umjadra that Marni
is famous for with the fr ied onions on top. The second type is made by boiling the lentils and the rice, then frying the
onions. The mixtures of rice, lentils (and some of the water they were boiled in) and the fried onions are then
blended. It looks like refried beans. You eat it with chopped tomatoes and diced cabbage. Unbelievable!! Marina and
Danielle are going to take cooking lessons with Uncle Assaad.
Uncle Assad and Aunty Gladys are so adorable. Nothing phases them! They just prepare food and don’t care when we
arrive or wake up to eat. Bless them. We love them so much.
** For some pictures of our lovely day check out this link… only 60 photos this time haha**
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2126201&id=10805803&l=030d6b7329
That is that, dear family!
Bouses,
Caren
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Allo Familia!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Marhaba!
Miss you all. We were so tired Wednesday we didn’t go anywhere. We slept because we are up all hours of the day and night!
Yesterday our driver, Habib, picked us up and we went to Jounieh, “Sin City!” During the Civil War, Beirut was a mess so the rich Christians moved over to Jounieh to party. It became a sort of Las Vegas of the middle East with “lurid” bars and “super” nightclubs with exotic dancers. Those Christians! Not only are the nightclubs new since I was here, but the mountainside is filled with gravity defying super high rise buildings. Think stilt houses. It’s quite frightening when you see them up close as we did as we rode the “Terror” ferique to the top of the mountain to see the statue of the Virgin of Lebanon.
The Teleferique is a cable car that travels from the center of Jounieh to the top of the mountain (Harissa). It’s a nine minute ride up a steep hillside. Beautiful views….if you are brave enough to remove your hands from your eyes! We visited the statue of The Virgin (with her arms outstretched to those sinners below in Jounieh!) and climbed the spiral staircase winding around her base. A bit “terrifying” itself for an acrophobe!
Next, we headed to Jeita Grotto….nominated as one of the new 7 wonders of the world! There were signs and billboards encouraging people to vote for Jeita Grotto. Two spots in the Middle East are nominated…Jeita in Lebanon, and Petra in Jordan. I vote for Jeita Grotto. You are not allowed to have a cell phone or camera in the grotto. It is divided into two parts. The upper part is a walking tour, and in the lower part you travel by boat. “It’s a Small World” with stalactites and stalagmites!
The Grotto was pretty impressive…. but not like food!! For lunch we had a fabulous new sandwich called, “The Marina!” She invented it in Byblos. It is a whole, large pita with hummos, french fries, Arabic pickles, and tomatoes (which we had to remove…no fresh fruit and veggies outside of the Najjar house). You do not open the pita bread and stuff it. You keep it whole and spread everything on the top of the pita and roll it up. You haven’t lived till you’ve had a Marina.
Nicole is reading a book called, “Naturally Thin.” The 10 commandments of naturally thin people. One of the commandments is: “Taste everything, eat nothing.” One of the commandments of the Lebanese is, “Taste everything, eat everything, and have extra-helpings!!”
On our way back home (where , of course, a delicious meal was waiting for us) we stopped at a popular Jounieh restaurant to have a cool drink and watch the sun set. It was called Makhlouf and it was right on the sea. Did you think we were really there for a cool drink? No! We had…ice cream! The delicious, pasty, Arabic ice cream called “Bouza.” Mind you, we eat ice cream (I always want to write it as, “I Scream!”) everyday. Sometimes, once a day, sometimes twice a day, even up to three times a day!!
We came home to Bishmezzine and had a delicious fish dinner of rice, fish, nuts and sauce. Like the Marni variety…just different seasoning. Do not even ask how we are able to eat as much as we do! You cannot say “no” to Uncle Assaad! Or to his dinners!
Today we went to Kaslik, a yachting, swim club outside of Beirut and went boating with Albert Vitale. The sea is very polluted, which was sad for all of us. We met Valery (his daughter) and her son, Alec, at the club and, of course, ate a great lunch with mezza and Sultan Ibrahim…small fried fish. We took a walk around the club before heading home to a…..dinner with Walid’s brother Nabil, his girlfriend Hala, and another friend. We had an “Uncle Dick’ dinner…steak, fries, taboule, salad, and green beans. OK, the salad and green beans are not Uncle Dick’s favorites but the fries were to die for!
Tomorrow is Douma. Grandpa Sam’s home town.
Love and miss all of you! Thank you for your emails. I need to go get Nicole to put some pictures online.
Tomorrow you’ll get pictures…she’s already in bed!
Yallah Bye!
Caren
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Douma!!
June 20, 2009
Allo Allo!
Douma! I am crying now just starting the email! I cried when we got to the village! (Grandpa) Sam’s village. When I went to school at AUB, Sam was so proud, he told everyone, “Caren is going to Douma!” You cannot go without feeling Sam there.
First of all, the old treacherous road; the narrow road built for donkeys; the road with no railing or barriers; the road where people have lost their lives trying to pass a truck and rolling off the steep cliffs; that road has been replaced! There is a “New, Wider Road… with Barriers!” No more fear! I don’t know if I was successful in impressing you with the terror the other road inspired! You used to travel up one mountain, then down to a valley, and then up another mountain to Douma. Today’s road: Straight, Wide, Direct! Takes a lot of drama out of it!!
Douma is a peaceful, quiet, red-roofed village, “famous” for being in the shape of a scorpion, which can be seen from the hillside overlooking the village. The “main square” of Douma has a Roman “sarcophagus” surrounded by small stores, including our great-uncle’s tiny market and ice cream shop. There are old men sitting in the shade, playing with worry beads, and talking. One of them pointed the way to the Nader ho me and sent us on our way with a lot of “Ahlan’s.” (Welcome!)
We walked to the home where Sam was born and lived until he was sent to America to work when he was just 14. His brothers and sisters have all passed away, however, his brother Enulla’s wife, Aunt Anise, is alive. She lives with her unmarried daughter, Raymonda, Mom and Aunt Deanna’s first cousin. (Enulla is Nicholas in English.)
Raymonda wasn’t home today because she is in the hospital! “For what?” we asked. One pointed to his throat, another rubbed his stomach, and another said something that sounded a lot like “Swine flu!” Bravo! We were scared enough! Danice warned us on the way that we were not to eat or drink anything there. So what happens? Of course they want to feed us! We explained that we had just eaten and were not hungry or thirsty. However, they brought out watermelon. No one would eat their watermelon! I felt so bad. I didn’t want to insult them, so I ate mine. Nicole traded plates with me and after two bites of hers, she yanked the plate from me and said, “Enough, Mother!”
Coffee! Only Danice would join me in drinking the coffee. I don’t drink coffee, let alone thick, muddy, Arabic, “stay awake for three days” coffee!
Aunt Anise was so happy to see us. She wanted to know where Mom was and why she hasn’t visited recently. And, what a head of hair she has! White, but thick, and curly. Her niece, Raymonda, (every son and daughter has a niece or nephew named after them so it gets very confusing) came over. She lived in Australia for 4 years so she spoke English. More and more relatives stopped by. They were so sweet and very obliging when we (well when I) pestered them as I wrote out our Nader family tree. By the time we left, they had really warmed to us. They want us to come
back before we leave. We may if we have time.
We ate the real “Bouza” (Lebanese ice cream) in Douma. Pasty and rich unlike any other ice cream we have had so far and they had my favorite flavors…strawberry, banana, and chocolate. I ate that combination everyday on my way home from AUB. Another happy memory realized!
Then to Kouba where Dad’s little home is now a parking spot. Maurice and Samira (Mina) were so gracious. They have a beautiful home overlooking the Mediterranean and the Batroun. Maurice walks down to the sea every day to fish. John had dropped off his two boys ages 5 and 3. The oldest looks exactly like him. On our way to Kouba, we bought them some jellied sweets from the new “super market” in town and Samira opened them for us to eat. They were horrid! How embarrassing! We were sp itting them as discreetly as possible into our napkins and looking for somewhere to throw them!
Kouba has changed a lot since I was there. It has many more homes and condos, yet it still has the same peace and charm of a small village. We were forced to drink pineapple juice and had more coffee. I may never sleep again!
On to Batroun, the town next door, to visit the Boulos family. We, of course, had purchased another horrible box of the jellied sweets for Nadia and Jack. Nadia and Samira are sisters and I can just imagine what they are saying to each other now about our sweets! Again, more pineapple juice and coffee, sweets, and bananas from their garden. I don’t remember loving Batroun and Kouba this way the last time I was here. Maybe it’s because we learned that Batroun is the beach and night club “hot spot” of the North. We intend to find out for ourselves.
We came home to find a fabulous dinner (you’re thinking no way!!) on the table. A stew of meat, peas, carrots, and tomatoes; macaroni and cheese like Granny’s; and salad. Unbelievable! The words, “No thank you we are too full!” never comes out of our mouths!
Danice, Nicole, and Anthony went to a concert in Beirut. Danice did not want the girls to go alone so she volunteered herself and Anthony to go. Danielle wasn’t feeling well from all the driving today so she stayed home.
We’ll let you know how the first concert in a foreign country was!!
A quickie:
Above Douma, they have 6,000 year old olive trees that still produce olives…(probably the wrinkly ones, ha ha!).
Love you all!
Yallah Bye! (Everyone says this!)
Caren
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Pictures of Douma and Kouba
June 23, 2009
Hi Everyone,
Here is the link to the pictures taken at Douma and Kouba.
Copy and past this:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2126831&id=10805803&l=ff837208a5
Enjoy!
Love,
Nicole
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Cedars, Becharre, Baalbeck!
June 22, 2009
Allo Allo!
Saturday night Danice experienced the “concert and clubbing” world of teenagers!! We will send you pictures of the concert. Sunday morning we walked to church. Marina warned us to bring fans or we would “drop dead of heat” in the middle of the service! Armed with our fans, we entered the church to find that this year A/C was installed! Shukran (thank you) Bishmezzine! I loved the service. It was all in Arabic, and the men of the village chanted. I took communion. They handed out mini loaves of holy bread. Uncle Dick and Aunt Deanna, we have to try making these mini loaves. We dressed up for church, however, a lotof people were in shorts, jeans, and sneakers.
After church we walked across the street (I mean if you can call it a street. It is literally right outside the door of the church) to “visit” with Walid’s cousin Karim and his wife, Nadia, Mufarrage. They served lemonade and coffee. I am now a coffee drinker. The thicker and muddier the better! We “visit” a lot here! Danice has lists of people we have to “visit!” And….they come and visit us! It is much easier to be a visitor than be visited because we can leave when we want!! I’m bad. I’m getting better. Getting used to it.
Danice and I are very funny with our Arabic, trying to make sentences. The last time I took Arabic was 34 years ago and she has never taken Arabic. We look at each other as if we are playing charades! Here is one of our beauties: “A milli marouf (please)…we’re scratching our heads… gibbe (bring) issayarra (the car) houn (here)…we look up hoping inspiration will come…bidnan (we want)….huut (put) …a good Sitto word….shi (things) houniki (there)!” Phew! We were so proud we got through a sentence!! We try adding colorful words as well such as yanni (the equivalent of “like”) and mishmaool (I don’t believe it!) and enshallah (God willing).
Monday morning we got up early because we had a big day planned. We started out driving to Becharre, home of Khalil Gibran the famous Lebanese poet and artist. On the way we stopped at Saint Charbel’s village. He is a Maronite saint. There was a small (meaning duck when you enter through the mini door) museum that had pictures and stories of all the miracles he performed. We went into a small chapel and said prayers for everyone.
Some of you may remember my obsession with the sidewalks of Portugal. The obsession this trip is grapevines. The thick main vine comes from a tiny plot of dirt in the ground and then travels up the side of a home (sometimes two stories) to the roof where the grape leaf vines criss-cross over a scaffold and serve as shade. Nicole has several pictures.
From Becharre we drove to the Cedars. The very Cedars mentioned in the Bible. The small reserves of trees which are in existence today are just a remnant of the Cedar forests that covered the Mount Lebanon range. They are planting new trees, however, it will take hundreds of years for them to mature. No guilt to those of you receiving Cedar gifts since the souvenirs are made of fallen branches. The trees are thought to be well over 1500 years old. As we hiked through the grove, we discovered that each tree had a personality of its own. The trees are even more dramatic in the winter when they are covered in snow. While at AUB I skied in the Cedars. Crossing over the Mt Lebanon range into the Bekaa Valley we passed some patches of snow.
On our way to the Bekaa Valley, we stopped at a village which is famous for miracles. We visited a chapel with a statue of the Virgin Mary which is supposed to open and close her eyes as you stare at her. We, again, prayed for everyone and bought some souvenirs. No eye movement, though.
The Bekaa Valley is a fertile agricultural region. It is home to Baalbek, probably the most impressive Roman site in the Middle East. It was first a Phoenician settlement. The temple was called Baal meaning sun. Bek came from Bekaa. Baalbek. We wanted to wander around the ruins on our own. We studied the history on our drive there, however, this tour guide would not leave us from the moment we entered the ruins. He wanted $20 for the tour. We asked what he would do for $10! He mentioned something about this being what the “government” charges..blah, blah, blah. He actually turned out to be a great guide. If we wandered away, he threatened that Jupiter would get us! He called Nicole and Danielle “Venus” and “Aphrodite.” He kept calling me “Lady.” “Lady come here. Lady see this.” He knew I was the weak link. He kept telling me how poor the region was and how few tourists visited and what large families they had to take care of. He told me how generous he knew I would be in tipping him. I was ready to empty my wallet for him, only the rest of them restrained me!
Baalbeck is a magnificent site. The Romans divided the temple into three parts and dedicated it to the three gods: Jupiter (sun, rain, thunderstorms), Baccheus (wine and pleasure), and Venus (love). You all know the famous picture of the columns of Jupiter. (Nicole and I built them for her 6th grade project on Lebanon.) Pictures to follow. We are hoping to see a concert there before we leave.
We then drove to Zahle and ate by the famous “wadi” (stream). We bought some of the sweets they are so famous for. We came home to find that Uncle Assaad had prepared a fabulous meal for us. This is the first time we were able to say, “No thank you! ”
We had a beautiful day. Tomorrow will be the beach.
Yallah, Bye!
Caren
p.s. I have to comment on the driving! Most roads don’t have lines. People drive down the middle of the road almost as if they are playing a game of “Chicken” and then swerve to their right just before having a head on collision. When there are lines on the road (like the highway) they don’t drive between them, they drive on them, honking all the time as they are passing each other.
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Bteghrine!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Allo Allo!
Before we came to Lebanon, Mimi, Bubba’s mother, told us that no one ever visited her relatives. Everyone visited Bubba’s father Paul’s village. I told her we would be in Lebanon for a month and I wanted the girls to meet all of their relatives. Mimi told me that her relatives would be petite and have beautiful eyes like her. Nicole looks a lot like Mimi, with those same pretty eyes, except Nicole is tall.
Mimi couldn’t remember the name of the village, “Bet..green something,” she said. We couldn’t find anything like that in any guide book. It wasn’t on any map. How would we find it? We asked everyone. Then, one night in Bishmezzine, Walid’s brother, Nabil, brought a Sri Lankan woman friend to dinner. She worked for the government and was very bright. She seemed to know everything about everything. I decided to ask her…I had asked everyone else. When I told her the family name was “Saliba” and that Archbishop Philip Saliba of our Eastern Orthodox church lived in the village next door, she knew right away! “Bteghrine!” Go ahead…I dare you to pronounce that! Beh…teh…gghhh….reen! Say it very quickly! Sounds like you are gargling! Anthony said you pronounce the “b” with no breath coming out…with lips pursed. The “t” is breathy. We spend a lot of time figuring out pronunciations driving around the country! And reading our guidebook!
Our Sri Lankan savior told us it was near Bikfaya. Now, that we could find. Our driver picked us up early so we could spend some quality time in Bteghrine. It was just Danice, Marina, Nicole, Danielle and I. We were on our way to a tiny village in the mountains of Lebanon to find relatives of Mimi’s father’s father. Sounds a bit far-fetched, right? This is Lebanon…anything is possible.
We passed through the beautiful mountains. When we arrived in (gargle, gargle) Bteghrine, everything was “Saliba!” (Pictures to follow.) Saliba pharmacy, Saliba salon, Saliba doctor, etc. We stopped at the Saliba pharmacy and (now, who would do this except us?) armed with just the name, “Albert Saliba,” we went looking for relatives!! The funny thing is…these people took us seriously! “Hello,” I said, “My husband’s mother’s father’s father was born here. He left here when he was 11 years old to go to America and we are looking for relatives!” (No, we don’t know the year! No, we don’t know his father’s name!) What were we thinking?” The pharmacist asked me what the man’s name was. “Albert Saliba,” I replied. He said, “I am Albert Saliba.” (Cousin!? He had beautiful eyes! When he came out from behind the counter…he was short…petite!)
Albert asked us to follow him in his car to a village agency in the center of town (maybe 2 blocks away) that had birth records. When we walked out of the pharmacy, Albert saw Nicole in the van. He pointed to her and said, “She is my cousin.” He looked like Nicole! We followed him in our van to the office. Unfortunately, the records in the “Big Black Book” were just from 1900 to the present. We figured Mimi’s father’s father had to be born in the 1800’s. The “village genealogist” told us we would have to go to a church to look up earlier records which would be written in Arabic. We will save that for another visit.
While we were in the agency office, a few people came in. A man, petite with pretty eyes, pointed to Nicole and said, “She is my cousin!” Nicole was so gracious, she just smiled and nodded. (Another cousin?) Mimi said they would be short. They were! Don’t know where 5’8” Nicole came from! Nicole turned out to be our missing link!
The genealogist had two other (Saliba) people for us to visit. One, the old man of the village, George Saliba, who supposedly knew everyone ever born there, and a younger man who spoke English and “has been to America.”
The genealogist asked us to follow her to the old man’s home. We had quite an entourage by then. When we got there, George’s wife, an older woman in a house dress and slippers, opened the door and invited us all in. She took us to the living room where she served everyone pineapple juice, fruit, and cookies.
We met George. He was dressed in a suit and handled his worry beads. Honestly, they were all so adorable. Another man who resembled my brothers-in-law, had come into the home with us. He pointed to Nicole and…yep… said, “She is my cousin!” Everywhere we went she looked like someone. It is true they had her eyes. I think they just wanted to be related to her! Danielle was sitting next to me and leaned over to tell me, “Mother, see all these people? They are all related to Nicole! They are all Nicole’s cousins. Not mine!”
George was sure we must be his relatives! He talked to us about the Saliba family. He said he was related to Leon and Naseeb. “My mother-in-law is related to Leon and Naseeb!” I told him. He was so excited, “Then we are cousins!” He gave us his phone number and told us to come back to visit. We got pictures of our “new family” and left. We were sad to leave , however, we were having lunch in Broumanna.
Before we left, one of our new “cousins” took us to a church that had a glass encased, well preserved body of a Bishop (Saliba of course) who had been dead 300 years! He probably is our relative! The skin on his hands and face was beautifully preserved! Danice and I were wondering what they used on him…we wanted some of that!
We had a great adventure!
In Broumanna, we lunched at the home of Albert and Lilian Vitale, where their daughter Valery, and her family live. Valery had a feast. Lilian would have been so proud. The kibbee was amazing. Grape leaves, kousa, fish, chicken! Everything was delicious.
What a day! We went home and crashed! We watched some DVD’s and went to bed (but not until Uncle Assaad fed us again)!
Yallah, Burp, Bye Bye!
Caren
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Pollution Activists
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Allo Allo!
We have been so busy! Today we went to a beach club called Bay 183. It is in Byblos. We were sitting on the beach looking at the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. To the right is the Crusader Castle and ruins. To the left you can see all the way up the coast to Beirut. They serve drinks and French fries on the beach, but not hummus. What kind of Lebanese beach club is that? We have Deeb blood. We go to the restaurant that serves hummus, order it, make Marina sandwiches, and sneak it to the beach!!
Now take off the rose colored glasses for a moment. We went into the water and sadly found it to be polluted. The water is warm and shallow so if it were clean it would be perfect. I remember taking the girls to the beach in Newport when they were younger and not being allowed to swim because the bacterial count was too high. What is this? You can look, it’s beautiful, but you may not touch! Enough! Anthony and Danielle are mad as hell! Danielle has been photographing the garbage. We are ready to be a part of change.
Walid arrived tonight at 11pm and Uncle Assad had a full table of food for him. Not our leftovers from dinner, all freshly cooked food! We have to beg Uncle Assad to let us have leftovers when we love something he has made for lunch or dinner! What don’t we love? If we mention a particular food in passing…who mentions food in passing??…We eat it at the next meal! Nicole was hungry for some falafel and that evening we had it! He sent his driver to another village to buy it. We don’t eat any fresh vegetables or fruits except at the Najjar home. We have never had a salad or tabouli outside of their home. It just is not safe and we are trying not to get sick. We loaded our falafal sandwiches with tomatoes, and lettuce, and as Walid says, “No self respecting falafel sandwich is without mint.”
Love to all of you!
Yallah Bye Bye,
The Pollution activists
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Pictures from Beach Day, Bteghrine, Bruhmana, and Kouba
June 30, 2009
Here are pictures from beach day, Bteghrine (MIMI YOUR FATHER’S VILLAGE!!!), Bruhmana, and Kouba.. again
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2127575&id=10805803&l=7fce44c935
click the link and enjoy!
love,
Nicole
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Galilee-Southern Lebanon
June 25, 2009
Allo! Hope all are well.
Today we ventured to the South! Southern Lebanon is considered to be “Northern Galilee.” We have been walking on Holy land! Walking where Jesus walked; that is special. Lots of history ahead!!
Sidon (Saida in Arabic)
From Bishmezzine we headed south to Beirut and then along the coast to the port city of Sidon.The road is lined with citrus orchards and banana groves. Saida was once a wealthy Phoenician village. It’s now famous as the birthplace of former Prime Minister, Rafiq Hariri (a Sunni Moslem), who was murdered in 2005 and whose son was just proclaimed the new Prime Minister of Lebanon. Saida may have been settled as early as 6800 BC. Saida, like many Phoenician cities suffered from conquests and invasions. In 1200 BC the Philistines invaded, then the Persians, and then Greeks. In 551 AD a devastating earthquake demolished Beirut and the famous (first in the world) Law School was moved to Saida. Then came the Arabs, the Crusaders, and finally the Ottoman Turks.
We walked through the covered souq (market) to the soap museum and had a lesson on “saponification.” Wealthy Lebanese families20(Hariri, Audi, Debanne) donate money towards the reconstruction and restoration of Saida. The Audi family has restored an old building from the 13th century and turned it into a soap factory. Walking through the souq is like taking a step back in time. There are open barrels of nuts, dried fruits, dried flowers and herbs. Coffee vendors walk through the souq with silver Arabic coffee pots, clicking small coffee cups. There are so many smells in the souq. The delicious smell of herbs, coffee, and pastries, mix with the exhaust from passing scooters and cars, and of freshly slaughtered animals hanging outside the butcher shops. Can you say, “Vegetarian!”
We went to the famous Sea Castle built by the Crusaders in 1228. It is built on a small island 80m offshore connected by a stone walkway. We climbed throughout the castle. We don’t seem to tire of castles! Crusader castles in Lebanon are like cathedrals in Europe! From the rooftop of the castle is a great view of the old city.
Tyre (Sour in Arabic)
Leaving Saida, we traveled south along the coast to Tyre. The South is predominantly Shiite (although the cities are mixed). Tyre dates back to 3000 BC. The Egyptians took over from 1700 BC until 1300 BC. Then the Assyrians came, then the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar. All the time the Tyrians were fighting and resisting complete dominance, until Alexander the Great. He was most successful in taking over Tyre (332 BC). He built a sea bridge to reach Tyre and conquer it. He massacred (or sold into slavery) 30,000 citizens of Tyre. The land bridge still remains today. Tyre then became a Roman province. Tyre was one of the first Lebanese towns to adopt Christianity. The Arabs took Tyre in 635 AD, The Crusaders in 1111 AD, The Mamaluks took Tyre in 1291. After the Turkish Ottomans, Lebanon became a French Mandate.
In Tyre we visited the Al-Mina (harbor) ruins and the Al-Bass ruins. The Al-Mina ruins have fairly well restored columns dating back to Roman times and marble pavement dating to the Byzantine Period. The Al-Bass ruins have Roman sarcophagi (large stone coffins) dating to Roman times. Al-Bass has a hippodrome. It “was” the largest and best preserved in the world. It was used for chariot races. In 2006 the “I’s” used the site of the hippodrome as a helicopter landing site and destroyed most of it. Tyre is very close to the “I” border.
Cana (Qana in Arabic)
Cana is a small Shiite village.20It is the Cana of Galilee where Jesus performed his first miracle of turning water into wine. There are early Christian Rock Carvings of 13 figures which are believed to be Jesus and his disciples. There is a cave near the carvings which is believed to be where Jesus and his followers hid from persecution. Between two homes in the village is a small site where they excavated large basins which may be the containers of water Jesus transformed into wine.
Jedda Marjeyun
We continued to Jedda Marjeyun, village of Paul (my father-in-law). It is not an easy village to get to. It is up and over a mountain with narrow winding roads and in some spots, “no” road. To get there we traveled along the “I” Lebanon border, which is separated by barbed-wired, chain-link fences. Looking across the border we saw beautiful tree lined villages in the distance. It would have been a pleasant view if it hadn’t actually been occupied territory we were looking at. Paul’s father left the village when he was a boy. It’s a small village. The best part of Marjeyun is that it is a part of Nicole and Danielle’s history!
Beirut
Our driver dropped us off in Beirut 2 hours later. We dressed up and went out on the town. Nicole and Danielle went out with George, a friend of Nicole’s from High School. They found him after Nicole posted a note on Face Book, announcing she was in Lebanon. George took them to the new hip district called, “Gemmayzeh,” which is all bars and restaurants.
Marina, Danice, and I went Downtown and had coffee and ice cream while we people-watched. I checked out the beautiful stiletto “Bling Bling” shoes. They are so beautiful they could be centerpieces. There is no way I could walk in them! Since we don’t need new centerpieces, I passed on the shoes.
Home to the Mozart Hotel on Hamra.
Shower.
Bed.
Yallah Bye!
Caren
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Quickly! Quickly!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Hola!
We met an Argentinean woman yesterday and were so happy to speak Spanish!
Quickly, quickly comes from an Aero Mexico flight I was on many years ago. We suddenly hit some turbulence and the plane made a sharp drop. The flight attendant (actually they were stewardesses then!) yelled on the loud speaker, “Kweekly! Kweekly! Get in your seats!!” I thought that was the end!
Anyway, I am going to keep this email “kweek!”
We woke up early (12 noon), had a Continental Breakfast of olives, labni, and pita (what else?). This was our “Walk Beirut” day. We headed down Hamra Street and found “The Street” with the great shoes, took a mental note to return, and continued to Abdul-Aziz Street. This was the street that my dorm was on. We headed to Bliss Street (the street AUB is on) and had manaeesh! It wasn’t the same place, Yum Yum’s” I ate at everyday on my way to class, but it was heavenly. Imagine thin bread with zaatar and lots of olive oil, freshly baked, and rolled. I am telling you, I dreamed of that first bite for these 34 years!! You know the saying, “You can never be too rich, too thin, or eat too much zaatar!”
We walked from Bliss to the Sea and walked along the Corniche. I am taking all of them on a “Memory Lane” tour of B eirut. We had to head first to Pigeon Rock. Those are the famous rocks you see in pictures of Beirut. They are equivalent to the Cabo San Lucas rocks. This is where my friends and I would escape to for peaceful contemplation. Continuing down the Corniche we passed Santa Monica and Venice Beach!! We named those areas because if you didn’t know you were in Lebanon you would swear you were in California. The amazing high rise buildings reminded us of Ocean Avenue in Santa
Monica. The “muscle men” (ha ha) reminded us of Venice Beach. Okay, let’s back up here a minute. When you think of a Lebanese muscle man…it is not really like “Mr. Universe.” “Yanni (remember the word?) it is more like a topless man in shorts with oil on his chest sporting a big pot belly!! And! We walked and walked for miles and never saw women! Finally, we saw a couple of women and they were covered in their long robes with just eyeballs showing…. 90 degrees and 101 humidity!
We walked to the Hard Rock Cafe (not there 34 years ago). We passed many “Beach Clubs.” These are the chic places to be and be seen in Lebanon. They range from dumpy to very expensive, jet-setting types. We go for something in between!
At Hard Rock we ate a Hot Fudge Sundae (for Uncle Dick), walked home to the Mozart. Showered, dressed, and caught a cab to meet Walid, Anthony, and Walid’s cousin and her family for…SUSHI!!
Yes, we ate sushi in Beirut! (We won’t even eat a bite of a cucumber outside of Uncle Assaad’s and we ate sushi!) It was a fashionable restaurant downtown, called DT (Downtown!). It is some of the best I have ever eaten. Danice and I cannot describe it. It was clean, simple, modern…and that’s the sushi we are describing!
We walked around downtown, “took a coffee,” had dessert (of course), and people watched. We are mostly fascinated with the “Argili’s” (Hookahs or “Hubbly Bubbly”). They use watermelons and pineapples instead of water. Very interesting. The problem with them is that if you smoke a whole Argili it’s the equivalent of 100 cigarettes. Did I tell you that already?
Home.
Shower.
Bed.
Sweet dreams!
Caren
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Pictures of Galilee-Southern Lebanon
July 2, 2009
Hi everyone,
There are A LOT of pictures from this day.. just a warning! But they are very cool and pretty.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2127576&id=10805803&l=d7756c964c
Enjoy,
xoxo
Nicole
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Pictures of Marjeyoun
July 2, 2009
Hello again,
Here are pictures from the end of our day traveling in the South.. the pictures from Marjeyoun (where my grandpa Paul’s father is from.. Mimi show Paul!), pictures from driving along the Lebanon-Israel border, and our weekend in Beirut!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2127580&id=10805803&l=c76f5c9a28
Love,
Nicole
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Shop till you drop!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Marhaba! Keefcum? Ahna mneeh.
What a showoff, eh? The Arabic is coming along slowly. I practice my numbers reading license plates, and my Arabic reading on Billboards and signs. Danice and I continue to impress “ourselves” with our conversational skills.
We woke early again (12 noon) and hit the road to Starbucks! Seems they really are everywhere. Those who
need their caffeine fix (Nicole) got fixed. Those who needed a zaatar fix (me) got theirs at Zaatar Galore (just kidding, I don’t remember the name, just the scrumptious taste).
If you know me you know that I did not get the shopping gene, however, Danice, Nicole, and Danielle got the gene on both “X” chromosomes! It has been a lesson in patience for me. Except when it comes to shoes! We headed to our “shoe” street off Hamra and were in quite a frenzy trying shoes on (mostly sandals). Marina got some really cute platform shoes.
We then caught a cab to ABC (pronounced, Ah, Beh, Say) the big mall. Wipee…a mall. Anyway, it was fairly painless because most of the stores are the same as we have at home (so they tell me) and we were able to leave early.
We ate some falafal “sandwishes” (that is how we have found it spelled) from a place called, Zaatar w Zeit (Z aatar and Olive Oil. I’m obsessing again). It’s a chain. It’s cheap. It tastes good. For dessert (bless us…we are used to dessert after every meal) we had an amazing chocolate mousse “thing!” Uncle Dick, Lebanon should be visited just to taste the chocolate! Chocolate ice cream, candy, cookies….it’s dreamy!
Back to Harmra and shoe shopping. I could buy more. If we have time I will. (Maybe the gene has just been repressed.) I don’t know where I will put these shoes.
We have a weight problem! I don’t know how we’re going to carry everything back. We will need a crane to lift our suitcases! My mantra is…”Buy light! No more heavy souvenirs!” Speaking of heavy, I don’t think I’m gaining weight here. Every morning my pants still fit me. (However, it could be because the seams are ripping open!).
I would like to add a note about the weather. I want you to imagine showering, dressing, putting on makeup, and then stepping into a sauna! That is the weather. It will get worse at the end of July and especially August! Every time I have been outside I have to shower. The one good thing is that our skin feels softer because of the humidity. It is a constant “steam bath!”
Did I mention the mosquitos? Did I mention that the perfume we wear is “Eau de Off?” Sometimes we wear a Lebanese brand that is “herbal!” We are scrat ching day and night. After the attacks we coat ourselves with Benedryl spray, lotion, and cream. We also have cute herbal anti-itch sticks which we carry in our purses. By the time we cover ourselves with all our salves and ointments (we use sunscreen too) I don’t know how those mosquitos get to our skin!
“They” sleep late every morning. I sleep till 7 or 8 usually and then take my shower. I am fond of warm showers, however, no matter what I do it’s either frigid cold or scalding hot. It may be that I just don’t know the proper dial positioning. I always forget that I cannot read without my glasses…I don’t know how it’s possible since I have been wearing reading glasses for 6 years. Anyway, I mix up shampoo and conditioner and, this is really bad, I realized that for the first two weeks here, I was using Aloe Vera instead of hair gel! They are the same color and are both on the sink. Haram! The funny thing is that I liked my hair with the Aloe!
Back to Saturday. We met Valery and Albert at Janna. It is a restaurant in Beit Mary that is very “touristy.” It is very Arabic. The waiters dress in Arabic garb, they dance, sing, and occasionally serve food. People smoke Aragilis and dance by their tables. It’s very festive! The decor is “early harem tent.” We had our usual. It is Alcazar every time we eat out. The mezza and then the shish taouk, laham mishwe, and kafta. And t he french fries. I think we eat french fries with every meal as well! Crispy french fries fried in olive oil. Not beyond organic, but delicious. We went to dinner at 11pm and got home around 3 am.
Shower.
Bed.
Sunday morning, June 28, 2009
Wake.
Shower.
Cab to Bishmezzine.
Eat.
Rest.
Eat.
Sleep.
Eat.
Sleep.
Yallah, night night!
Caren
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Tripoli
Monday, June 29, 2009
Marhaba!
Today Nabil, Walid’s brother, took us for a day in Tripoli.
We started out going to Balamand Church and University. It is a beautiful old church with very old icons and I love seeing the Arabic writing. There are a lot of dragons or serpents in the icons and the carvings. Nabil says that the serpent represents man’s lower nature and the saints are either killing them or at least putting them under their feet. Conquering our lower nature.
We then headed toward Tripoli, where Granny’s dad was raised. We stopped at a few antique stores. They had beautiful towla boards, brass lamps, inlaid chairs etc. We passed a whole row of antique stores…Mish and Aunt Deanna you would love them!
We went to a…drum roll please….Crusader Castle!! Surprise, surprise! We never tire of them. We climb around them, we visit every part of them. They are not all that different. Some are better restored than others. We just feel we are walking through history. All the castles have underground tunnels. We have only seen one tunnel in Baalbeck. The others have been used by the military during the various wars so they keep them hidden.
We then headed to the souq. As I was walking I got a few “Eib!!” remarks. So, I had to run to the car to get my sweater (for the 90 degree, 101 percent humidity)! I was wearing a sleeveless top. Not a tank…just no sleeves!
Eib to them for being so…..
The souq was covered and has a gold section. Marni, between all of girls, I believe we have every type of bracelet you can find there! This was a souq that the locals use to buy their clothes and shoes. We also visited a Turkish bath. It was filthy and not restored. It was actually behind a store that sold soft drinks and bottled water. We walked to the back of this tiny store and found this old “Hamam.” They say that in this souq there are 60 historic sights including this bath.
Nothing is restored. It’s very sad. There is so much poverty, it is so dirty. Unfortunately, they cannot afford to restore anything when they need to put the money toward just surviving.
Outside of Uncle Assaad’s, we notice that people do not eat like we do. We were so hungry, however, Nabil, never wanted to eat!! Finally, he took us to a cute little “Patisserie” for sweets. We had ice cream (Of course!), and an assortment of Arabic pastries. Marni, every store that sells pastries sells the wrapped sweets like Patchi. That is what I want to bring home for you! Oh, the ideas you will get when you see these!! They have “bling bling,” flowers, unbelievable decorations!
We went to see Nabil’s home in Tripoli. It is near the mina (harbour) down some narrow streets. It is a run down area that is being restored slowly. His place is amazing. He is a Yoga teacher and he is restoring a very old building and turning it into a Yoga retreat. It has a 150 year old grapevine (remember my obsession!). It is like a large serpent winding up to the second story. I think everyone has to go out and buy grapevines. You only need a small spot of dirt to plant it in and then you guide it to your top story. See Nicole’s pictures! Next door to the Yoga retreat, entering from another doorway, is his home. It is fabulous. He has marble floors, terra cotta floors, pink, walls, turquoise, lavender, walls and stained glass windows. He is an artist and it is reflected beautifully in his home.
We made our way down to the mina and took a long boat ride to three small islands. One is a reserve. We love the Sea. It is truly in our blood.
We headed back to Bishmezzine. When we walked into the house we had a delicious spread on the table (Of course).
Have I told you that we eat with two plates?? One on top of the other. We have never not used the two plates!!
Our dessert plate is a third plate!
We love and miss you all!
We are loving it here.
Yallah, Bye!
Caren
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Byblos
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sabagh an’nuur!! (Good afternoon)
We had good intentions of getting up early and shopping a little more in Byblos (we love Byblos!). We, however, woke at 2 or 3 pm! Breakfast was still on the table!! We ate (did you have any doubt?)
The “girls” all drove to Byblos to get some last minute souvenirs. It was a shop till you drop kind of last minute spending spree. Nicole and Danielle ordered their names in Arabic. It is sold in silver (real) or copper dipped in gold. It comes as a bracelet or necklace of satin cord. The girls ordered them as bracelets (which I really love) and will put them on necklace chains at home. Nicole got the copper dip, and Danielle got the silver. Even though we got a late start (arrived around 6:30 pm) we shopped. The souq stays open until after midnight.
Walid, his cousin Kareem, and Anthony met us for dinner at the mina (harbor) at a restaurant called Bab al Mina (Door to the harbor). It was part old Lebanon and part modern. Modern fixtures in the bathrooms with old rock from several years ago. We ate overlooking the mina with a beautiful moon shining on the sea. Marni, it was definitely a moonbath night.
We had the small fried Sultan Ibrahim, and mezza. Walid picks up this small fish (head, eyeballs, and tail, Cha, Cha, Cha!), squeezes lemon juice on it, then pops it in his mouth! Danielle and Marina cut the head off and pop it in their mouth. What do I do?? I filet the fish!! It is a very tiny fish!! I cut the head off. Cut the tail off. I then begin the surgical process of fileting it and removing all the skeleton in one piece! It is absurd to Walid. It is the only way I can eat it. What is left, however, could maybe fill a thimble! These fish remind me of Sitto, and of Gina finding it at home for her and having it fried. I cry so much here (I am “emo” as my girls say). I cannot be here and not think of Sitto, Dad, Sam, and Granny’s family.
We had a lovely evening. We walked through the souq and discovered that Byblos is the happening place. There is a street that runs perpendicular to the tourist trap part of the souq. It is filled with bars and restaruants, blaring music, and Michael Jackson videos on large screens! The beautiful people are here! There is also a music festival in the summer (end of July through August) held by the picturesque mina. We will miss that. We will miss the really bad heat and most of the tourists, Yahoo!
Boring “us,” we walked through all the chic parts and didn’t stop. We let our senses guide us, though straight to an ice cream parlor for…bouza (what else!). You will be proud of us, we are branching out beyond chocolate. We eat mulberry, mango, and amara’dine (apricot roll). It actually has the rich taste of amara’dine and not just apricot.
Have I told you about the fruits? We are eating the most delicious mulberries from Aunty Carmen’s yard, plums from her yard, apricots, watermelon, figs from the organic market!! The fruit is unbelievable. A shop owner in the souq in Byblos decided he must be our cousin. He is related to Esma Younis and comes from Douma. He is also from the family Khier, Uncle Dick, so he is your cousin as well! He asked how we could leave Lebanon so soon when all the good fruits are coming in August. It was confirmed! Of course he’s our cousin!! How can we leave Lebanon when the really good food is coming?
Home to bed. No food on the table, Nushkur Allah (Thank God).
Yalla bye!
Caren
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Bonita Bay
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Sabah al Khair! (Good morning!)
Yes, we woke up while it was still morning! Today we went to the beach in Batroun. We met Jeanice’s friend Patricia (was called Patty, now Patricia) from Pepperdine University. She has two teenagers. A girl, Bernadette, 18 years old, and William, a boy (no kidding),16 years old. We are so bad. We couldn’t understand why they like to be called by their formal names. On the way driving to the beach, we kept imagining ourselves calling them Patty, Bernie, and Billy! I don’t know why I even shared that with you!
We went to a great beach club called Bonita Bay. It is moderately priced and is owned by two brothers who used to live in Newport Beach. The beach is beautiful. It is not a sandy beach. It is a rocky beach. It has pebbles. In the water it has all sizes of rocks. If you wear water shoes you are okay. If not…you just thank God you don’t know anyone there as you stumble and fall getting in and out of the water!
Patricia was adorable. We really enjoyed our day with her. Someone told us that Lebanese women do not eat!
It is true!! She never had more than a bottle of water! I kept asking when they wanted to eat and she kept saying, “Not now, it’s too early!” Too early? It was 5 PM before I got my baba ganoush! She never ate one bite.
The kids all swam together most of the day. I even went in twice. The water was warm and very clean. It was clear, and a beautiful blue. Clean!! I love that it was clean. This is our new favorite place. We have decided to spend some beach days here before we come home.
We arrived in Bishmezzine around 7 PM. Showered. Couldn’t wait to eat! The house smelled so good! Uncle Assaad made malfoof. We ran downstairs to find…a visitor! Hala, a cousin of so-in-so, the daughter-in-law of mabarif meen (I don’t know who)! I just wanted to eat! So, with grumbling stomachs we sat with Hala. Smiled. Had a coffee. Smiled. Blah, Blah, Blah.
Then we heard that Nassif and his family were coming to visit on their way home from the Cedars. Nassif, his wife, their two kids, her brother, his wife, their two kids, a friend from Jordan, and an aunt of mabarif meen. They arrived late. Not late enough for us to sneak in a bite of food, though! They had a car break down. They destroyed the door of the second car. Nassif’s daughter was miserable because she had fallen earlier and hurt her wrist and she was whining. I just wanted to eat. I brought his daughter a Band-Aid. All kids love Band-Aids. No go. Whine, whine, whine. (When are we going to eat?) They visited Blah, Blah, Blah. We had a coffee. They left!
Finally, at 10:30 PM we had dinner! I was so caffeinated, I couldn’t sleep. (The next morning we found out Nassif’s daughter actually broke her wrist!) Haram!
Yallah bye!
Wide awake in Bishmezzine!
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Lunch in Batroun
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Marhaba!
Today we went to lunch at the home of Aunt Nadia and Uncle Jack Boulos. It is a beautifully decorated home. She has many wonderful antiques. Aunt Samira and Uncle Maurice were there. They are our last relatives in Kooba and Batroun. They remind me so much of Sitto…emo!!
I will never forget the email Danice sent from Lebanon years ago, the first time she discovered the kibbee nayee at Aunt Nadia’s was made from Goat meat! This is what the email looked like. Large bold letters. Now, 5 years later, Danice just goes to lunch and eats Goat meat kibbee nayee!! I already cannot eat cow or chicken after passing the butcher shops with the slaughtered animals hanging on the street! I could not even look at goat kibbee! I had to medicate myself with some Arak. After that, I calmed down a bit. The goat meat came in three forms: raw, kibbee arass (balls), and kibee sayniye (in a pan).They kept offering it to me and I kept declining saying I was vegetarian.
I did eat the “vegetarian” mezza. Danice warned me that Aunt Carrie got sick after a meal at Aunt Nadia’s. We just aren’t used to the “bugs” in the tap water here. I figured I was well medicated with Arak so, throwing caution to the wind, I ate tabouli, cucumbers, and tomatoes! We usually only eat vegetables at Uncle Assaad’s where we know he cleans them well with bottled water. However, with all the goat meat staring at me, I had to eat something. They had delicious baked Sea Bass. I ate that. They had Sultan Ibrahim (remember the small fish?). I wasn’t in the mood for “surgical filleting” so I didn’t have any. However, Danielle (drum roll please) ate one with its head, eyeballs and all!! Gido Edward would be proud.
I could not look at the relatives without getting choked up. I am crying while I write this. They are so sweet. They lead very simple lives. The men worked hard for many years and now they are enjoying their retirement. They love their children, yet most of them live in other countries. Uncle Maurice walks everyday to the sea to fish. If he catches anything he throws it back. He’s 82 years old, the age Dad would be. He said that this is the first year he feels his age. It’s an effort to fish. He can’t climb the rocks like he used to. He and Aunt Samira have a beautiful home that overlooks the sea in Kouba. Edward, you and your boys have to come to Kouba and fish with Uncle Maurice. It is the same beach that Dad would go to and fish and swim with his grandfather and great grandfather. I’m so emo again!
We came home.
Rested.
Ate (a goat-less) dinner.
Showered.
Watched DVD’s.
Slept.
Ma’a Salem (go in peace).
Caren
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Tannourine and Mar Hanna, Douma
Friday, July 3, 2009
Allo!
Today we were joined by Mike Assaly and his daughter Sarah. We had a driver take us in a van to Tannourine, near Douma. This time we did not take the fancy new road. We took “The road to Douma!” It is seriously the most dangerous and frightening road. There is barely enough room for one car to fit on “the road.” When another car comes, someone has to go over the side or back up until there is a spot to pass. My stomach was in knots. Thank goodness Sarah had so much to talk about with the girls, it took our minds off the road for a while.
Jebel (mountain) Tannourine is above the Adonis valley. The Adonis river flows through the valley starting in the North at the Afqa grotto. When the snow melts from Jebel Tannourine, the river roars through the valley.In summer it gently flows. We ate at a restaurant owned by a friend of Uncle Assaad. A tiny branch of the Adonis river runs through the restaurant. What atmosphere! Uncle Assaad gave us the okay to eat the fruits, vegetables, and tabouli. Uncle Assaad made the kibbee naye (raw). “Just say no!” I didn’t even ask what the animal was. No kibbee for me. The other food was great. I shared a beer with Anthony…yes that cute, whiskered, 16 year old! He mixes it with Pepsi. (No Coke in Lebanon)
The view was breathtaking. The restaurant sits at the foot of this awesome red, rocky mountain.=2 0We sat by the creek. We had our lunch at one table and moved to another for dessert. We ate some teen (fig jam), honey with the honeycomb (crunch it, then spit out the honeycomb), mish mish (apricots), delicate little strawberries, and cherries.
We continued on the road to Douma and came to the Orthodox Monastery, Mar Hanna (Saint John…for St. John the Baptist). We met with Abuna (Father) Tuma (Tom) and Mother Mariam (head of the nuns). They are so sweet. She remembers everything about Marina and Anthony. She loves them very much. We had a tour of the monastery. The main church is a small structure built 1000 years ago. Beautiful inside, with all the old icons and the Arabic writing. They have another church that holds more people that was built in 1996.
We went back home to Bishmezzine to shower and get dolled up for dinner at the Casino du Liban. Mike and Sarah joined us, as well as Mike’s sister-in-law and her two children. A beautiful daughter named Rita is a 22 year old graduate of AUB. She works for a prestigious CPA firm as a financial analyst. The son, Ziad, is a 16 year old “inventor to be.” Marina’s favorite cousin, Mira, came with us as well. She had just flown in from Dubai where they live. Marina and Mira sat together and I don’t think they knew there were other people at the table. They were catching up20on each other’s lives during the past year. The Casino is one of Danice’s favorite places to go for dinner. She loves to sit outside and enjoy the view. We sat at the best table on the outside balcony of the Casino, over looking the moonlit Jounieh Bay. Hilo ikteer!! In the distance (on the coast of Beirut) there was a show of fireworks.
The Casino du Liban does not serve Arabic food, just French. What a treat for us. Danice and I shared asparagus and shrimp, sea bass and shrimp again! In 1972 when my parents brought the older three of us to Lebanon for a visit, we stayed at the Coral Beach Hotel. It was a very chic Beach and Pool Club. It still is! It was the first time we had ever seen men in “bikinis” (Speedos)! Our mouths dropped open when we saw them. In the States males were wearing those long “jammies.”The men had these teeny tiny bikinis with their pot bellies! The women were very funny as well. They walked around in tiny bikinis, with gold chains around their waists, high heels, smoking cigarettes, and speaking Arabic, French, and English in the same sentence, “Keefic, Cherie, What is new?” We had just come from Egypt where the three of us girls got sick. We had stomach problems.
All we ate at the Coral Beach was peach melba and fried shrimp…. all day long. We ate a small fortune in fried shrimp! The night before we l eft Lebanon, our dad went to the Casino du Liban and won a giant jackpot. He teased us that it was lucky he did so he could pay the fried shrimp, peach melba bill.
We got home late and went to sleep. No gamblers in our crowd! Just eaters.
Yalla, bye!
Caren
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One last purchase!
Saturday, Happy 4th of July!
So, Hi All!
We don’t know the difference here if it is the 4th or not! Today is the day before Anthony and Danice fly back to the states. Danice needed the day to pack. However, she also needed one more excuse to get a few more souvenirs and so she drove the girls and me to Byblos (one of our favorite places) to pick up the bracelets for Nicole and Danielle (with their names in Arabic). They are gorgeous. I wish we had made some more! The girls went to Beirut to meet friends for clubbing. Danice and I shopped a little more. She is a shrewd bargainer!! I am telling you, she is Marni!! I am thinking…”Just buy it!” No, she wants it for her price!
We finally dragged ourselves away from the souq and picked up some french fries and Pepsi and headed home. Packing went well, well for me anyway I just watched and read my book…I don’t know if Danice slept at all! The girls came home around 3:30am. Walid taught me how to open the outside gate at 4pm. However, by 3:30 am I just couldn’t. I guess in my attempt, I made so much noise Danice woke up and tried to help, and then Walid woke up and gave me that “look!”
The girls had a great time. You may or may not get the pictures of their night out!
Attempting to go back to sleep.
Kisses and Hugs.
Caren
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Lazy Sunday
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Danice and Anthony left the house at 5am. We went to church. Lazy day!
As I am writing this, we are listening to the Moslem call to prayer. It happens 5 times a day. It is so loud! I want Nicole to record it on the camera and see if she can email it to you all. The mosque is just across from the Orthodox Church.
I forgot to tell you about a quick stop we made in Rashana before visiting the relatives in Batroun. It is a beautiful village. Three artist brothers are from there. The Basbous brothers. They are all dead now, however they were amazing artists and “the” city street is lined with their sculptures. The last brother to pass away (just within the last two years) looked like Albert Einstein (in fact his name was Albert). His widow keeps the studio with his works open to the public for sales.
Nicole will have pictures for you!
Lazy day!
Kisses,
Caren
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Beiteddine, Aanjar, Ksara Winery, Chtoura, Azra
Monday, July 6, 2009
Allo!
Our new driver picked us up at 9 AM and brought…our old driver with him! It was a bit uncomfortable, however, our new driver did not know how to get to all the places we wanted to go.
Sunday, Nicole looked online to see if Beiteddine was open and it said it was open 7 days a week (just that it closes by 5:30 PM). Our guidebook said it was open 7 days a week and be sure to get there early as it closes at 5:30 PM.
Beiteddine was closed! We found out the hard way that a lot of things are closed on Monday. We traveled 2 hours to find it closed! They will be having a festival soon, so maybe that’s why it was closed (setting up for the festival). It was devastating to go that far and not see it. It is a 19th century palace which took over 30 years to build. It was built by Emir Bashir, an Ottoman governor. Beiteddine means “house of faith.” It is in Druze territory. It is said to be beautifully decorated. I was looking forward to seeing the inlaid marble floors and the mosaics. There are (supposedly) some 30 room-sized mosaics and many smaller ones which are said to be a “stunning visual treat.” Well, it is one stunning visual treat we missed this time! It didn’t help that Walid and Nabil rubbed it in that it is the most beautiful palace they have ever seen!
On our way to Beiteddine, we visited Castle Moussa. Mr. Moussa is a cute little old man who greets you at the front door to his castle. We took a picture with him. He was kissing my hand and repeating his motto, “Behind every great, or crazy man is a good woman!
Here’s his story: Castle Moussa is the fulfillment of a lifelong quest. Poor Mr. Moussa, as a child he was beaten repeatedly by his teacher for dreaming of living in a castle. His first love refused to marry him because he was poor. If he became rich enough to support her in style, she would marry him. Mr. Moussa worked in archeology and restoration for years. Then, In 1962, he started work on Castle Moussa. He built an entire castle from scratch, complete with a drawbridge and moat. It is fabulous! The teacher who beat him died before he could see the castle, However, he did marry his first love. He autographed my guidebook and left me his phone number!
On our way to Aanjar, we passed through Chtoura. Chtoura is in the Bekka Valley. I know it well! It is famous for its Labni.035 years ago Sitto’s cousin, a right wing Kataib who fed the fighters all during the war, would pick me up from my dorm every Sunday and take me to Chtoura for a Labni wrap. The most delicious, creamy labni rolled up in big, warm, soft, flat Arabic bread. They sprinkle dried mint and pour olive oil on the labni. It isheavenly! The girls loved it. (Even Marina, who is not crazy about labni.) When this funny old cousin would pick me up, I dragged my roommate with me. Bless her, she is a Palestinian girl who endured the cousin crying over Lebanon and her desire for all the Palestinians to go back home! The cousin also had an interesting style of driving. She drove an old, small, white car. She didn’t keep her foot on the accelerator. Instead, she would accelerate, raise her foot, accelerate, raise her foot. We jerked back and forth the whole hour or so there and hour or so back.
On to Aanjar. Aanjar is a predominantly Armenian town. We visited the Umayyad ruins which date back to AD 705. It was a walled city with Roman and Byzantine structures. Nice ruins, good pictures…stay tuned…and a great souvenir shop!
The Armenians are noted for their craftsmanship. I bought a towla board. The girls bought some jewelry. Looking back, we should have bought a whole lot of jewelry. The silver pieces were incredible and priced well. We have the opposite of buyers remorse!!
Then to the Ksara winery. The oldest and most famous winery in Lebanon. The Jesuits started it. The wine cellars are old Roman tunnels. When we arrived they grouped us with some other “English” speakers. They were on the last part of their tour, the wine tasting! So, we started our tour with wine tasting. Marina only wanted water. We had some white wine and then some red wine. Marina asked for a taste of one of the wines and we teased her so much! I asked if they had Arak. The server was happy to give me a taste. One sip and that was the end of me! It is reminiscent of Sitto 35 years ago. I was with George and Mike Saade, and Sitto at the same Ksara winery. Sitto said she wanted to taste the Arak before she bought it. One sip and she was, “Adios mamma!” She couldn’t stand on her own! The three of us were holding her up in the “catacomb-like” roman tunnels with her laughing riotously! Well, after my sip of Arak, the girls said I kept asking the same questions over and over down in the wine cellar. They were laughing at me and I didn’t know why. I was very relaxed!
We came home, showered and went to dinner in Amchit, which is right next door to Byblos (Yanni, as Tarzana is to Encino). Mike Asaly’s sister-in-law, Thickra, (May’s sister) her husband, and children took us to a restaurant called Al Azra (blue). We sat outside overlooking the sea with a spotlight on some kind of old ruin in the water. We are so used to ruins now that we don’t get too excited about their history, although we appreciate their beauty! What a fabulous night we had. A full moon was shining on the sea, the gentle sound of the waves, and the greatest company! Our children had so much fun with Sarah and her cousins. I love Thickra, she is just like May! And, the greatest tabouli! I don’t think they have witnessed a person who can consume as much tabouli as I can. They just kept saying, “Suh’taine!” That is supposed to mean “bless you”….however, I am sure they were thinking, “Wow, you eat a lot!”
We ate fried fish and baked sea bass. I am becoming a sea bass lover! It’s filleted and literally melts in your mouth.We ate calamari and fried shrimp, octopus sauteed in garlic and oil, along with the regular mezza. After dinner we ate fruit (of course). Before we left, we took a walk down some ancient rock stairs to a lookout point. We are going to miss the sea! Move over Edna! We will probably be visiting a lot!
Home.
Bed.
Yalla, night night!
Caren
We were there from 9:30 PM until 1 AM.
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Lebanese National Anthem
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Shh! It’s Danielle’s Birthday!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Danielle is 21! We aren’t to mention it! Last night at Al Azra, the waiters brought a small ice cream cheese cake with a firecracker on it while they played this hysterical recording of, “Habby biirrth day!” Twenty-one years ago Danielle was born on the seventh day of the seventh month at the seventh hour and weighed 7 pounds (in the year of the dragon!). She is lucky by Japanese and Chinese standards!
Today was beauty day! We got up early (7 AM) to leave by 8 AM to arrive at Valerie Vitale Wakim’s home. We called our usual Byblos cab to take us there. An old man shows up. The back window behind the driver is taped with newspaper. He said on his way someone shot a bebe at him and shattered the window. Walid asked him if he knew the new highway to Broumanna. Oh yes he knew it! Well, in all my time in Lebanon I never saw a cab driver drive as slowly! He did not know where he was going! We called Albert and Valerie several times and gave him the phone. We wasted so much time trying to get this man to Broumanna! He missed the highway and took us on a tour of the mountains. Even though Albert stayed on the phone with him, he still got lost. Anyway, after he would talk to Albert, he would still go into a gas station and ask them how to go. Broumanna is famous!! How could he be a cab driver and not know how to get there….Mish ma’oul!! This is the frustrating part, not knowing the language well enough and not knowing how to get anywhere!
We finally made him just stop. Valerie came and picked us up! We were late for beauty day!
We went to Valerie’s home. It is actually Albert and Lilian’s beautiful home, however Valerie and her family live there. The manicurist was waiting. We all four had mani pedi’s, the girls tried the “string” hair removal, and we three tried the “sucre!” Since the Lebanese movie “Caramel” came out I have been wanting to make sucre and try it! I remember being in Granny’s kitchen when I was young (whenever that was) and she, Aunt Elsie, and Aunt Lila would mix sucre in a pot. Lemon, water, and sugar. Cook till it’s sticky. They would roll it into a ball, give me some to eat, flatten it out, rub it on their faces, pull…and scream! I remember being horrified! Why are they doing this! Later when I was at AUB, a woman would come around and do sucre on the girls in the dorm. When she came to me I quickly refused!
We did our sucre, only it comes in a premixed pot and it wasn’t painful at all. Valerie fed us, we watched some of Michael Jackson. We had a relaxing girl’s day. I wanted to see her grandmother, Lilian’s mother. We visited with her a bit and with Lilian’s brother, Camille, who gave us the names of some beaches and clubs that are typically Lebanese and not like Acapulco!
I gave Lilian’s mother a big hug and am bringing it home for Lilian.
Albert took us on a tour of Broumanna. The cab driver took us on a tour of everywhere but Broumanna!! Broumanna is the most beautiful town in Lebanon. The pines are called “Parasol Pines.” They have long tall trunks and the pines at the top spread out like a parasol. You see them all throughout Broumanna. The homes are beautiful as are the shops. It is a town where they take good care of the old buildings as well as the new. Valerie and her husband are building a home just down the street from Albert and Lilian’s. They will use the traditional old stones in the construction. We love the architecture here. After our tour we ate at a popular shawarma cafe. Then we moved on to ice cream! It was the same delicious ice cream I would eat at AUB. The server used a “spatula” just like I remembered. The only way to describe the flavor is to tell you that is deep, and rich! The chocolate! Mama Mia! Uncle Dick if there was a way to email you a taste I would.
Valerie offered us rooms at her husband’s family owned hotel. The girls took them up on the offer since they were staying to go to Beirut (20 minutes away if you have a cab driver who knows where Beirut is!). The girls were going to eat with friends and do some clubbing. Remember, it was not to celebrate Danielle’s birthday! Don’t mention it! Boy, is she going to be fun when she turns 30! (Michelle!!) Valerie was so good to us all da y! She was driving us around, dropping off and picking up children, while her mother-in-law was home and very ill.
We went to Valerie’s hair salon and had our hair blow dried. The stylist gave me the “bouffiest,” old lady hair style! I looked like I was wearing a space helmet! I thanked him, went outside, and patted it down! We went to the first in Lebanon…ABC (remember pronounced, AH, Beh, Say) for coffee (a cute little Lebanese coffee spot called, “Starbucks!”), loaded our cell phone with more minutes and then I took a cab back to Bishmezzine. Valerie took the girls to the hotel and they got ready for their night on the town. My cab driver to Bishmezzine was talking to me about how Lebanon is the most beautiful place on earth. Every Lebanese, no matter where they are, loves Lebanon. Remember when we landed, I told you the plane erupted in cheering? It wasn’t because we landed safely, it was because we landed in Lebanon. Everyone here loves this country. Everyone here knows it is the most beautiful spot on earth. Lebanon has been through so much in its history. This is the most resilient country. They are peaceful people living in a beautiful country, and everyone wants a piece.
I came home and rested. The girls partied too much! They got to the hotel around 4 AM. Sarah stayed with them.
Love and miss you all. We will see you soon!
Yallah, bye!
Caren
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Quickly! Quickly!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Hola!
We met an Argentinean woman yesterday and were so happy to speak Spanish!
Quickly, quickly comes from an Aero Mexico flight I was on many years ago. We suddenly hit some turbulence and the plane made a sharp drop. The flight attendant (actually they were stewardesses then!) yelled on the loud speaker, “Kweekly! Kweekly! Get in your seats!!” I thought that was the end!
Anyway, I am going to keep this email “kweek!”
We woke up early (12 noon), had a Continental Breakfast of olives, labni, and pita (what else?). This was our “Walk Beirut” day. We headed down Hamra Street and found “The Street” with the great shoes, took a mental note to return, and continued to Abdul-Aziz Street. This was the street that my dorm was on. We headed to Bliss Street (the street AUB is on) and had manaeesh! It wasn’t the same place, Yum Yum’s” I ate at everyday on my way to class, but it was heavenly. Imagine thin bread with zaatar and lots of olive oil, freshly baked, and rolled. I am telling you, I dreamed of that first bite for these 34 years!! You know the saying, “You can never be too rich, too thin, or eat too much zaatar!”
We walked from Bliss to the Sea and walked along the Corniche. I am taking all of them on a “Memory Lane” tour of B eirut. We had to head first to Pigeon Rock. Those are the famous rocks you see in pictures of Beirut. They are equivalent to the Cabo San Lucas rocks. This is where my friends and I would escape to for peaceful contemplation. Continuing down the Corniche we passed Santa Monica and Venice Beach!! We named those areas because if you didn’t know you were in Lebanon you would swear you were in California. The amazing high rise buildings reminded us of Ocean Avenue in Santa
Monica. The “muscle men” (ha ha) reminded us of Venice Beach. Okay, let’s back up here a minute. When you think of a Lebanese muscle man…it is not really like “Mr. Universe.” “Yanni (remember the word?) it is more like a topless man in shorts with oil on his chest sporting a big pot belly!! And! We walked and walked for miles and never saw women! Finally, we saw a couple of women and they were covered in their long robes with just eyeballs showing…. 90 degrees and 101 humidity!
We walked to the Hard Rock Cafe (not there 34 years ago). We passed many “Beach Clubs.” These are the chic places to be and be seen in Lebanon. They range from dumpy to very expensive, jet-setting types. We go for something in between!
At Hard Rock we ate a Hot Fudge Sundae (for Uncle Dick), walked home to the Mozart. Showered, dressed, and caught a cab to meet Walid, Anthony, and Walid’s cousin and her family for…SUSHI!!
Yes, we ate sushi in Beirut! (We won’t even eat a bite of a cucumber outside of Uncle Assaad’s and we ate sushi!) It was a fashionable restaurant downtown, called DT (Downtown!). It is some of the best I have ever eaten. Danice and I cannot describe it. It was clean, simple, modern…and that’s the sushi we are describing!
We walked around downtown, “took a coffee,” had dessert (of course), and people watched. We are mostly fascinated with the “Argili’s” (Hookahs or “Hubbly Bubbly”). They use watermelons and pineapples instead of water. Very interesting. The problem with them is that if you smoke a whole Argili it’s the equivalent of 100 cigarettes. Did I tell you that already?
Home.
Shower.
Bed.
Sweet dreams!
Caren
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PICTURES of Tripoli, Byblos Souq, Batroun Lunch, Tannourine
Hi Everyone,
Sorry I have been slacking with the pictures. As you know we have been very very busy!!!
Here are pictures from our day in Tripoli and taking a boat ride in El Mina
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2127864&id=10805803&l=6c3d3eb3ec
This link is to pictures of the Byblos Souq, dinner in Byblos, our beach day at Bonita Bay in Batroun, lunch at Tannourine with the Asaly’s, the monastery where Mother Miriam is, and also dinner at the Casino du Liban.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2127939&id=10805803&l=1bedac35a8
More to come in a little bit!
Love,
Nicole
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Pictures of Beiteddine, Aanjar, Ksara Winery, Chtoura, Azra
Hi Everyone,
As promised here are more pictures from this day trip!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2128753&id=10805803&l=ab615a69e5
p.s. as this is our last day in Lebanon instead of packing, like I should be, I have decided to upload the pictures and send them all to you hahah its a much more fun and less daunting task!
Love,
Nicole
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Pictures from Qannoubin!
Here are the pics from Qannoubin!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2128757&id=10805803&l=2eeaef8ec6
Enjoy!
We come home tomorrow and I lost the connector to plug in my camera to the computer. So we just have to wait for the last few pics from our beach day and some other random photos!
Love,
Nicole
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The Party’s over!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Allo! (Proper pronunciation: Ahh… low)
We are packing today! Thursday and Friday were beach days at our favorite beach, Bonita Bay. The girls went out to some clubs in Byblos and Batroun. Batroun is the the happening place! Our little Kouba and Batroun are hotspots!
I love Bonita Bay! It is clean. It has pebbles (which aren’t so fun), no sand, and no one cares what anyone looks like! The Lebanese are skinny, fat, surgirized, not surgerized, and they all wear skimpy bikinis! We had no problem with public bathing!! Trying to get in and out of the water is very ungraceful! No one cares.
Imagine sitting at the beach ordering baba ganoush, and shish taouk, and smoking an argili! (We didn’t smoke…I can barely breath around all the smokers here!)
Smoking is allowed everywhere. Even cab drivers will light up. When you aren’t used to it, it’s bad.
One American dollar is worth 1,500 pounds. Did I already share that with you? The money is so devalued that they do not have the small piasters they used to have. I think 250 is the smallest denomination in pounds (as a coin). I never saw anything smaller than a 500 pound coin.
One more complaint about the driving! They pass on curves here. Much more fun to “wonder” who may be=2 0coming straight at you! We have found ourselves on roads with no lines. Two way traffic. We are approaching a truck. The car in front of us is passing the truck. Our driver is passing the passing car and there are two or three cars doing the same thing on the other side of the road! Coming at us head on! We close our eyes and pray! Honestly, it is hair-raising! Nicole and I are always clutching each other! Danielle sits in the front because she gets car sick. I feel like she has been the “sacrificial” passenger this trip!
Good bye Lebanon!
Good bye Assaad and Gladys!
Good bye Bishmezzine!
Shukran Ikteer!
Thank you “Lebanon Group” for going along on our adventure with us! (27+ of you!)
We love and miss you all and look forward to seeing you soon!
Allah Maick! (God be with you!)
Yallah, bye!
Caren
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And that was our trip of a lifetime to Lebanon.
Yallah, Bye!
myauntylulu 