How to start touring after a long period of quarantine? We will take step by step.
We have visited Beiteddine Palace, last year on September 2019. And for some reason, I didn’t upload the photos or write a blog about it. It could be because now it is the perfect time!
When we talk about opportunities, we don’t mean in regards of employment only. Embracing an opportunity incorporate everything, from cherishing a moment to setting plans to tour the entire country, in this case, Lebanon.
Frankly speaking, my dearest friend Jessy and I have been dealing with an issue. We would like to build a group of friends to tour our country since traveling nowadays has gone back to becoming extremely expensive and not very feasible.
Furthermore, being a very organized researcher and outing planner, I was capable to set gorgeous and practical ideas. If you scroll down my blog page, you will see that we managed to visit several places. Lebanon is a very small country distance-wise; but extremely rich in history, culture and sightseeing attractions. Almost every village has its share of historical sites, and nature reserves.
Here we are in Beiteddine, famous for its beautiful Palace and its annual summer festivals (a must-see). We were fortunate enough to visit almost every room of the palace, since the president had already left back to the presidential winter palace in Baabda.
What a marvel this architectural structure is, with its ornamented rooms, colorful ceilings and floors mosaics; immense doors engraved with Arabic writings, and a large courtyard with its center piece – a circular fountain. It isn’t an easy job to constructively criticize such a magnificent site; but if it is going to be beneficial, than one should pinpoint. True that the value of a room consists on preserving the originality of things. But, over time, certain objects need restoration and sometimes even change. In the case of luminaires and chandeliers, there were some rooms that required attention to the lighting systems. As to the furniture, most loungers and chairs can afford refurbishing, keeping the same aspect yet looking presentable. The floors in the Hammam (toilet rooms) had cracks due to time and water-exposed conditions. And the outer stones that make up the façade of the palace would look vibrant with some polishing. So my question was, why would a president or whomever that make use of such a fabulous place not take good care and maintain it properly!
Mir el Amin is another attractive site, not so far from the Palace, that one can visit while in Beiteddine. To our luck, and my conversational skills, we met Mrs. ‘Kind’ who gave us an inside tour of the hotel. Impressive the way that edifices and houses were built at that era!
We had a simple lunch on the terrace of the Mir el Amin hotel, where the service was fair. This is another concern we are facing here in Lebanon. This country is known for its remarkable hospitality and generosity. But the very low salaries and lack of facilities/benefits had led many to migrate.
After this short description of our visit to Beiteddine, and in regards to the subject of this blog page, I call upon the citizens of this millenary country to set dates and tour the many wonderful places it holds.
How to make the best out of this internal tourism after quarantine?
- Print a map of Lebanon
- Select the region you want to visit
- Research and write down the names of villages with ancient ruins or resorts
- Check for available restaurants/snacks close by, or take with you a picnic basket
Don’t forget to photograph and enjoy touring!