A hidden gem in the Middle East, “Lebanon”. With ancient heritage, beautiful coastlines, rich cuisine, and many charms that surpass its small size.

I introduce “Lebanon” from my photos of memories. These are digests and summaries of my trip.

I went to “Lebanon” in January 2019. The two cities I visited were the capital city “Beirut” and the second city “Tripoli”.
The common language is Arabic, the currency is Lebanese Pound (LBP).

A panoramic view is what Lebanon looks like. This is a port city “Tripoli” on the Mediterranean coast. It was a landscape close to the image of the Middle East that we imagined.

The buildings were lined with the color of dry earth. Tall buildings are rare, and you can see all around.

On the other hand, the main capital city “Beirut” is like this. High brand stores were gathering aournd here.

The atmosphere of this city reminds us of Europe. Lebanon was once under French mandate, and Beirut is known as the “Paris of the Middle East”.

Beirut has a beautiful cityscape, but the impression that it is a city that was made artificial is strong. It can be described as Ginza in Japan or Birmingham in the UK.

The reason why this is Lebanon is that there are guards in camouflage combat uniforms guarding around this area. He was on guard duty with rifles. So Beirut has a relatively stuffy atmosphere everywhere.

An obscure tourist attraction “Raouche Rocks”, one is called “Pigeon Rock”. Perhaps you want to say that “you mean this rock looks like a pigeon?”. But still, many tourists were gathered this point. we can take part in crusing which a boat through under the rock. OMG.

This area is lined with condominiums, but there are also many restaurants and cafes where you can relax while looking at the sea. very cool.

Mosques. Every time I see like this everywhere, I strongly feel that I have come to the Middle East area.

It’s fabulous that it’s everywhere. It is transmitted that it is a custom rooted in all local’s life.

The Cedar of Lebanon symbolized by the national flag. Because it is located near the top of the mountain, it was a little difficult to go and back.

Even if you look closely, but there is no particular feature that stands out. The cedar tree is not bigger. You sometimes pass by without realizing it.

A woman I met when I went to see Lebanese cedars. She gave me a handmade souvenir as a token of our meeting. This is the souvenir shop she runs, and she put her name in Arabic (?) on cedar tree stump. I forgot how to read my name in Arabic.

The guesthouse in Tripoli was like this. It feels like a simple accommodation. It is reasonable at 10 USD per night.

The characteristic point is that while it is a pension, the bathroom is shared with the owner’s family. Naturally, conversation was born among us, and it was quite intimate, or rather, our lives were close.

In Lebanon, the places where you can buy alcohol are quite limited. This is the kiosk that finally reach after asking various people.

Rather than being able to buy alcohol here, it was quite a shock to me that it was a long drive from the place where I asked about it and the surroundings were dark.

this is the area around Bay Mina.

The endless wine-growing “Château Ksara”. You can walk around with free guide and see the underground wine cellars.

The characteristic of Lebanese wine is that it is a dry white wine.

“Cafe Fahim” is my favorite cafe in the world. I don’t think you can tell from this photo, but there was a relaxed atmosphere.

Lebanon’s few world heritage sites “Ouadi Qadisha and the Forest of the Cedars of God”. The valley that was too vast was too majestic.

Ramen, which has become common overseas, is of the same quality as in Japan.

The evolution of the world is amazing. The most delicious ramen in the Middle East.

2023-09-25

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