Lebanon, Beirut – Robert of Arabia

This is the last post on Lebanon, but for me it was the best part of Lebanon, the city of Beirut and its fun people. From the moment we arrived we felt very welcomed. We found the Lebanese to be warm, friendly and hospitable people. They are very generous, have a fondness for good food and enjoy living life to the fullest.

Lebanon is unique, unlike any other country in the Middle East. Its rich cultural mix, with over 6000 years of history, influenced by various civilizations and religions that have passed through its history makes Lebanon a land of contrasts and diversity. Lebanon has made many connections with both the East and the West. These connections have brought a great deal of openness and the ability for the people to adapt.

The Lebanese cuisine is very rich and varied. Cuisines from around the world can be found here. The folks here love to go out in big groups to eat and have fun. Night life is very important and partying is an essential part of their life styles. The city comes to life in the night with wonderful fun venues all over Beirut.

The gentleman who arranged our itinerary, selected a range of restaurants and night venues to checkout. One evening we went to an alleyway off the main shopping street and found many small bars and clubs. The place he recommended was known for their Thursday night Lebanese music. We found a table on the outdoor patio and watched the people walking along the alleyway and streaming into this local bar. By the time we left (late for us) the place was hopping.

Another venue called the MusicHall is a cabaret style music theater, it opens at 10pm and features 12 live music acts in three hours featuring a mix of local and foreign performers. Every ten minutes a music act plays for 15-20 minutes, the music is phenomenal. The summer venue is a large, lounge type seating area, with a long bar across the back with either bar tables or stool seating. It feels like you are in a very posh lounge, except there is no roof, completely open air, with great views of Beirut. The outdoor venue is open from June to mid November, during the wet season they move to an indoor venue not to far away. This was one of the highlights of our trip. The booking was for a stool, one person sits the other stands, overlooking the lounge, we meet many nice folks. When the Lebanese act started EVERYONE got on there feet and danced and sang to the music. The Lebanese folks were in fine form for the last night at the summer venue.

The restaurants, if you ever go to Beirut go hungry! Between the fabulous, set price, traditional Lebanese meals to the very fine French cuisine Beirut has it all. The night life in this city is one of the main attractions, the city is vibrant and full of life. M.E. and I forced ourselves to just do it! We had the most fun eating great food, walking around and meeting nice people. Below are some pictures from our evening outings and scenes from around Beirut.