livelovelebanon

Where the Turtles Meet

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The Mediterranean breeze waves wash upon a soothsayer sand beach whispering love poems between each sigh. Lustrous sunshine, massaging with temperate, beams beneath the waves. Turtles twist in tubular turnabouts as the shimmering sunshine shines through waves casting shadows and light amongst a sea spectrum. A faint breeze ghosts through the swaying banana trees. Crabs scuttle along the precipice of the sea and sand, as the waves wash the crooked edges of stones. This is the idyllic habitation where sea turtles meet the sand to lay their eggs in hope that one day those tiny creatures left defenseless will meet their sea again.

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The Cave of the Three Bridges

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Baatara

Sacred Spaces come to exist on their own, created by the hand of nature. A spectacular sight to see, where nature carved its way through, the Baatara gorge, lies unchanged, untouched, flowing to the pace of its own flow. A vision of beauty it lies deep into the valley below where three natural bridges, rising one above the other and overhanging a chasm descend into Mount Lebanon.

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The Beauty of Needlework

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Embroidery has long since been part of the Lebanese heritage of handicrafts. There are some kinds of embroideries like the Oya that most probably have been acquired at the time of the Ottoman Empire. Embroidery in Lebanon is not considered to be a craft as all families, whether peasants, villagers or city-dwellers, practiced it as well as crochet, thus perpetuating ancestral traditions. The young ladies were most hard-working as they had to start preparing their trousseau as of their tenth year. The latter had to contain both embroidery for personal use such as veils, undergarments and dresses, and embroidery items for household use: window, cupboard and closet curtains, bed covers, protective covers for sofas and tablecloths.

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Beirut’s Old Manara

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There was a time in Beirut when, what seemed like a mammoth structure, black and white stripes ascending up to the skies, played a major role in this city. Built on a little hill facing the Mediterranean Sea, the tallest one in the land, it stood still, proud, and useful. Now it stands there suffocating for air minisculed by the huge buildings around it. It stands there although still perceptible, yet useless in all its might.

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The Summer Drinks

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Similar to food, home made drinks are not only a staple in every Lebanese home but also reflect the earth’s bounty. There is something quiet wonderful about the combination of elements that make those typical Lebanese drinks so superb. It starts with their color, as they range in hues from pastel to darker burgundies. Then comes the smell as the drink reaches your lips and the flora of all the ingredients invigorates your spirit. Although they differ in texture, there is something quiet refreshing about them and the combination of those aromas with ice makes them the perfect summer drink.

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