Memory and Beirut

Hey!
I am going to blog about my super eco-hike in the wilderness of southern Jordan...where I rappelled down 12 waterfalls and cut my head open. But I don't have the energy to do that just yet (just wait, it is epic beyond all comprehension).

To tie you over....here are some pictures from my trip to Beirut. (Yawn, so boring I know)

It is midterms, so I will just be typing little comments by the pictures. I think they tell the story of Beirut much better.

Spring break is coming up and I have a few days in Amman where I will update my blog a few times...then I am off to Cairo to become further indebted to this blog.

A beautiful view of the city--the guy who picked us up from the airport took us to this obscure spot to see this amazing sight. Every Lebanese person I met was so welcoming, really taking us in to see their complicated city.
Here is the Al-Omari mosque. Originally the site of The Church of St. John the Baptist, it was converted into a mosque during the Muslim take over. At night, it lights up the city with its intriguing, but haunting blue dome. A statue near the mosque--you can see the bullets holes...obviously not originally part of the statues. They are markings of the trouble times in Beirut, including the most recent conflicts in 2006 as well as the Civil War. There are many signs of the rocky history of this city. Abandoned buildings and statues like these, as well as many memorials, remind you of this. It is like Berlin in this respect. Here is one of the more famous abandoned buildings. I was hear late at night (I won't say how late...). It was perhaps the best time to see this haunted place. If you can believe it, this is the Holiday Inn. During the civil war, it served as the perfect site for target practice. It remains a towering memorial, a site that no statue or history book can ever trump in terms of expressing the devastation of war. In my opinion, it should never be torn down. It expresses to me the sadness and emptiness war brings.

Anyway, sorry for that little poetic bit at the end. I plan on going back to Beirut. I will post a link to the Facebook album shortly. Where you can learn more about what I did!

Love,
Liz