Hi Keefik çava? How to travel like a local in Lebanon

Hi keefik, çava? It’s going trés bien, I’am in Lebanon!
To summarize my trip I’ll quote a pickup line I heard here.

She: Where did you park your car? He: Inside your heart.

The sound of crashing waves of the Mediterranean sea, mouthwatering hummus, the views from Harissa, the energy that rushes through Beirut, … chances are high you will fall in love with this place.

No time to read? Check out the summary of all the places we visited at the end of this post.

Day 1 – Welcome to Lebanon

Celine is waiting for me in Beirut International airport and I can tell she is super excited to show me her country. In the car I am welcomed by her cousin Sandra who will make sure we stay alive on the racing tracks (the roads here). Well being immersed in a new culture immediately after touch down is what I like anyway. And what’s better than starting with mezze (tapas of the middle east) at Café Em Nazih and an Almaza beer at Coop D’Etat Rooftop.

Day 2 – Wonders and views

To convince me that Beirut is not just about crazy nights out, we explore the Jeita Grotto. The longest cave in the Middle East and finalist in the New 7 Wonders of Nature competition. I have seen quite some caves but it’s definitely worth to check this one. It feels like you are walking in set of Lord Of The Rings. The téléphérique, train and boat ride turn speleology into a fun experience!

On the way back we stop at Provincial Sur Mer to try more of the local cuisine. Sipping arak while I see the waves crashing below me, life isn’t bad! Order some hummus, tabouleh, fattoush, warak enab, kibbeh, kibbet samak and the fresh catch of day. Celine also shows me how to make raha biscuit: some kind of Turkish delight squeezed between 2 biscuits.

Enough about food, time to visit Our Lady Of Lebanon. A téléphérique brings us to the mountain village Harissa. On the way to the top Celine and Sandra extend my basic Arabic vocabulary, shukran habibti! And shukran for this view, at this point you will grab your camera and take loads of selfies!

What can possibly make your day even better? Catch sunset in Byblos, a Mediterranean city, a UNESCO World Heritage site and just a cool spot to be when the sun goes down.

Day 3 – Cheese, I mean Kanafeh and Wine

We hit to road to see grapes, the ones that are still on the field and the ones that turned into alcohol. It always amazes me to see how many countries produce their own wine. Besides good wine you can also get excellent food at Château Kefraya, a bit more pricey but totally worth it.

Not far from the castle you can checkout lake Qaraoun. I was not too impressed but it’s nice to go around on boat and take some photos.

In the evening Celine introduces me to her friends in one of the many funky bars in Beirut: The Junkyard. “Free drinks tomorrow” it says on the sign above the bar.

It’s a tradition to go and have some Kanafeh after a proper night out. You can eat this cheese pastry soaked in sweet, sugar-based syrup on a plate or inside a croissant with chocolate on top. Probably not ideal for your arteries but your taste buds will love it.

Day 4 – Hummus and waterfalls in Tripoli

It’s my last day in Lebanon and Celine wants to show me a place that tourists tend to skip. We are heading for Tripoli. It’s quite a drive but we do a photo stop at Our Lady of Nourieh. Expect some breathtaking views from this cliff, 300 meters above the Mediterranean sea.

InTripoli we indulge in foul, hummus madkouk, foul bi thini, hummus lahme, malizia and fatteh. I took a snap of our order in Arabic below.

After a small coffee break we continue to the waterfall and lake in Heaven on Earth (Oyoun El Samak). It’s one of those hidden natural secrets.

On our way home we set eyes on another mesmerizing sunset.

Een video die is geplaatst door GingerAroundTheWorld (@gingeraroundtheworld) op 23 Mei 2016 om 7:43 PDT

The last supper is one to remember. A massive buffet awaits us to celebrate the victory of the local elections. As I make my way through dancing people with a pile of Lebanese awesomeness on my plate I can’t help smiling, this was another wonderful trip.