Today was a very eventful day. Early in the morning we went exploring around Zalk'a, the area of Beirut where our hotel is. We were told about a place called "City Mall". It's basically a giant indoor mall. Most of the stores were closed or just opening because it was early in the morning, but our noses led us to a small shop in the mall where we found some fantastic manaiysh!
The mall also had a huge market (the size of a Costco or something) where you could do ALL your shopping in one place. It contained a full grocery store, bakery, electronics department, clothing, cosmetics, you name it--they sold it!
After buying some small items for the room we returned for a quick nap. By the way, it is HOT and WET!! We've become accustomed to two or more showers per day. After our nap, our journey started. We rented a car from a local Avis in town. It is a Toyota Yaris--nice and small--and is perfect for cutting people off whenever you feel necessary (or what the Lebanese simply call, "driving"). Pedestrians coexist with drivers, and those on scooters believe they are allowed to drive the opposite way on one-way roads.
After a few "close encounters", we made our way to the Hamra district where we learned how to park. If you can parallel park in Beirut, LA is a piece of cake. Hamra is where George grew up. We ate at a local hotspot called "Al Kababji", then took a walk. The town and the streets slowly started coming back to him as we walked around. He found his way back to his old house and the homes of his friends. He had not been back 1973.
We later sat down for a cup of coffee at a local cafe on the corner of Hamra and the street leading to Colisee Movie House (which is not a movie house anymore) and then returned back to the hotel. Tomorrow we will be visiting Shtoura, Zahle, and Anjar--it's a good thing we got that car!!
Hope everyone is doing well at home.
Ma'salame!
love the video in the car ! haha. looks like fun!
ReplyDelete-Victoria