Beirut 101

This is one class you cannot (or do not want to) sleep through. Our course began a little north of Beirut, in a town called Jbeil (Byblos). It is the oldest continually inhabited town in the world and still stands as it did during Phoenician times. We visited the famous Crusaders Castle, which would protect the city and the port at the height of its existence.






We later went to Tripoli where we walked around the fish markets and enjoyed some amazing “Fooul” at a local “hole-in-the-wall” hotspot.



On Monday we went on a tour of Downtown Beirut. Our adventure started at the American University of Beirut, George’s Alma Mater (one of them, at least). I was very impressed by the campus and could definitely see why he enjoyed his education so much back when he attended the University.







As we were walking around the different buildings we suddenly came upon the library. Thus began our mini-research project. A quick keyword search of “Keushguerian” brought up a certain Master’s Thesis preserved in its full, unadulterated form, written by the one and only, George L. Keushguerian. See for yourself:









After the AUB, we visited the Armenian Evangelical College (AEC) and met up with Dad's old principal/teacher, Zaven Missrlian. He gave us a tour of the high school after the two of them reminisced of the old days when Dad attended the school. After the AEC we also got to see Haigazian University which faces the AEC.





After visiting the different schools, we walked around the streets surrounding the AUB campus. It is a very lively area filled with all different kinds of people. The students are a very diverse and dynamic group and when among them you do not feel as though you are in an Arab country. For lunch we went to a famous falafel joint called Falafel BerBer.





After lunch we returned to the hotel and met up with Alidz and her daughter Talar. Talar took me around Downtown Beirut and showed me some famous landmarks in and around the city. She showed me Roushe, which is a famous rock formation in the sea that is commonly shown on postcards of the country. It reminded me of Los Arcos at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Downtown Beirut is the side of the city that everyone brags about. It is an extravagant area that is home to lavish residential communities, European-style cafes and restaurants, designer stores and boutiques, all with amazing views of the sea. At the end of the day, I even got to do some shopping at Zara, located in one of their newest malls, "Le Mall".



















At night, Hovsep's sons Raffi and Ara took us to an amazing restaurant set in the mountains close to the town of Faraya, which is a ski resort during the winter. It was only 30-40 minutes outside of Beirut. When we left Beirut around 9PM it was 35 degrees Celcius and when we arrived at the restaurant, the temperature dropped to a chill 21 degrees C. It had a beautiful fireplace in the center of the outdoor seating area and their specialty was Saj flatbread filled with cheese, zakhtar, or even lamb. We arrived at around 9:30PM ready to eat dinner. If you think that is a little too late to eat, try explaining yourself to the groups of people that were showing up just before midnight.





What a day!!!

Ya Habib'Albi!

The title says it all! This feeling of content pretty much sums up our experience at Shams Restaurant in Anjar, but that was the end of our day. Let's start at the beginning.

At about 9AM we got in our trusty Yaris and headed towards Bikfaya, a resort town about 30 minutes outside of Beirut. The driving got a little worse, not because of the drivers, but because of the terrain. As I explained before, driving in Lebanon is not for the faint of heart--believe me. The driver must expect anything and everything: motorcycles drive against traffic, men rushing across busy highways, tractors blocking traffic on winding roads, and where passing on the right is more common than passing on the left.

Dad noted how Bikfaya had changed a lot since he had last been there. In fact, it changed so much that we missed our turnoff for D'hour Shwer and we ended up on a narrow road leading to another small village. Realizing our mistake, we turned back, but no before stopping in front of an old lady who was busy preparing saj flatbread. That was a great snack.

















After getting back on the main highway, we passed through D'hour Shwer. Our next stop was Bois de Bologne. Unlike Bikfaya, Dad explained how this town had not changed one bit. We found a cafe and had a cup of coffee at a small shop. The owner of the cafe sat with Dad and discussed the glory days of Bois de Bologne.

















After coffee, we headed toward M'rouj and turned east towards Zahle. We passed through a number of army checkpoints as we made our way through the mountains.

Our next stop would be in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon at a winery named Clos St. Thomas in Kab Elias for some "serious wine tasting" (as my Uncle Vahe would put it). He is the one who recommended we stop here. When we mentioned his name to the owners, they were excited to hear we were coming.































We were given a private tour of the winery, which was built into the mountainside. The aging rooms felt like natural underground caves. Water trickled out of the rocks providing natural humidity for the aging wine.




































The owner had also built a small chapel in the mountainside and a reception tent nearby that they could use to host weddings. We tasted about 6 or 7 different wines including a dessert wine at the end.
































After the wine tasting, we made our way to the town of Anjar. As we entered in on the main road, we were greeted by the intoxicating smells of the open barbecues at Shams Restaurant.
































This place was huge. It consisted of a small market, where you cold buy to-go items from the kitchen, a large banquet area, and an even larger outdoor dining area. The decor was simple, but they made up for that with their excellent food and great SERVICE!!! As soon as an ashtray was filled up with only a few pistachio shells, it was replaced. Dirty napkins were removed immediately after they were used and argileh charcoals were changed every few minutes. Because the cost of labor is cheaper here, the restaurant could afford to staff so many different people, each having their own task. If you still don't have an understanding of the level of service consider this:
1. While you finished your meal, a separate table was prepared nearby with new place setting and a spread of fruit and desserts. When you finished your lunch, you would simply get up and move over to the new table that was already prepared for you so that you would not have to wait for the staff to clean the table you were eating your lunch on.
2. If you somehow couldn't finish your entire meal, they would wrap it up for you. Obviously, a doggy bag is not an uncommon amenity in the United States, but at this restaurant, the waiter would walk it out to the front of the restaurant for you so that you would not have to carry it yourself.

For lunch we shared some freshly fried Sultan Ibrahim (fish), fatoush, kibeh nayeh, mutabbal, cold beer, and an argileh. It was very relaxing. After lunch we had some hot coffee and ashta ice cream.

















After leaving the restaurant we explored the small town of Anjar. There is a very strong Armenian influence in this town which can be traced back to its unique history. It is in the town of Anjar where the French helped settle Armenian refugees escaping from Iskandaroun (Western Armenia) in 1923. A few of the single-room houses remain from the time when it was first settled.
































Our drive back to Beirut was along a shorter road. The road climbed up and over the mountain at a much steeper incline. It was very foggy at the top with low visibility, but people did not change their style of driving. It's something you have to see. Luckily, I took a short video.





That's all for now. I will update everyone soon when there is more to share.

Home Sweet Home

MARHABA!!!

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!

En Route to Beirut

Hello Everyone!

Our flight from LAX was delayed 2 hours at the airport, but our pilot managed to get us to London only 1 hour late. I guess he was speeding (its a good thing there's no speed traps at 30,000 feet).

From London to Beirut, our seats were upgraded to business class. So nice! 3 course meals, champagne, and fully reclining seats is the way to travel. I wonder if I can convince Dad to upgrade my ticket for my flight home??

















We arrived in Beirut at around 4AM. By 5AM we were in front of a 24hour bakery called SeaSweet for some fresh kenafeh bizhubneh. YUM!!!





That's all for now

-Matt