Christmas in Lebanon 2008
Finally, the last installment for the three week trip in December 2008.
December 24
Woke up to a morning of thunderstorms with lightening and downpours. Several storms passed over the course of the morning while Lilian, Roy, her nephew, and me slowly gathering ourselves over tea, coffee, candied oranges, computer games, watching another storm and packing up to head to Lilian’s mom’s house in the mountains. Maybe snow up there?
Yesterday I had a painless, emotionally and physically, trip from Damascus to Beirut. I say physically because my stomach is churning over all the food I have been stuffing into it and I can feel something gurgling just below the surface waiting to erupt but glad yesterday was not the day. I thank my lucky stars even the twisty and gnarly roads of Lebanon and the dizzying traffic and exhaust of Beirut didn’t get the better of my sensitive stomach.
December 25
I woke up at 8:30 am after a sound nine hours of sleep under many covers to negate the cold. After watching and listening to the mom and another daughter battle it out over what to wear to church, mind you, this was performed in another language and I was not sure what the fuss was all about but it sounded life threatening, Lilian and I walked across the driveway to her brother’s house to wish her niece and nephew Rita and Chris ages 6 and 3 respectfully, a merry Christmas. We had yule log, cookies, and coffee to celebrate joy noel.
Lilan took me on a tour in the mountains while the fog lifted which was short lived. Snow and fog soon followed. We did get to see some ruins, an exclusive country club, the Intercontinental hotel, and strange rock formations. Now it is 1 pm and Lilian and her mom are cooking while I read and write until the next food fest.
Yesterday we arrived around 2:30pm relieved to be off the roads. The drive had bouts of torrential downpours, sleet, hail, and whipping wind. This did not bother Lilian in the least and that made me feel better. It was nice to relax in the kitchen by the old fashion wood stove used for cooking and heating. After lunch we settled into the room with a heater. The weather outside was damp, cold, and foggy. You could not see past the end of your arm it was that foggy. I could only imagine what the mountain scenery looked like. Two hours passed with knitting, talking, and TV. Then a two hour nap was followed by a visit to next door until 11pm.
With it being Christmas Lilian and her mom set out to cook chicken, beef, and other dishes. The house smelled like a house should smell on a holiday with whiffs of roasting meat coming from the kitchen. This serene scene quickly changed to people all dressed up coming through the door with plates of food. Two long tables were set up in the room with the heater and then piles of food were laid out. I didn’t know about this and I was still in pj attire. More relatives and children came for the gathering and all the food was good. Just as quickly as the people came, they left. We also left in the evening to the city.
December 26
Another restful sleep in the cold interior of Lilian’s apt. I had a quiet morning of repacking and reading Motoring with Mohammed. A quick city tour by car under a sunny sky, sun at last, we pass by the new mosque where Hariri is buried, the clock tower, martyr’s square and an old Latin church. With lack of time in the city, a return trip is on the list.
Arrived at the airport in plenty of time for the 2pm flight; bought two last souvenirs – a shot glass for brother Steve and a magnet for me.
Notes to remember: lots of billboards with the message, “Having Regrets? Tatoo laser removal” or ads for cigarettes, alcohol, and sexy images of men and women selling various things. Not use to seeing these larger than life images.
December 24
Woke up to a morning of thunderstorms with lightening and downpours. Several storms passed over the course of the morning while Lilian, Roy, her nephew, and me slowly gathering ourselves over tea, coffee, candied oranges, computer games, watching another storm and packing up to head to Lilian’s mom’s house in the mountains. Maybe snow up there?
Yesterday I had a painless, emotionally and physically, trip from Damascus to Beirut. I say physically because my stomach is churning over all the food I have been stuffing into it and I can feel something gurgling just below the surface waiting to erupt but glad yesterday was not the day. I thank my lucky stars even the twisty and gnarly roads of Lebanon and the dizzying traffic and exhaust of Beirut didn’t get the better of my sensitive stomach.
December 25
I woke up at 8:30 am after a sound nine hours of sleep under many covers to negate the cold. After watching and listening to the mom and another daughter battle it out over what to wear to church, mind you, this was performed in another language and I was not sure what the fuss was all about but it sounded life threatening, Lilian and I walked across the driveway to her brother’s house to wish her niece and nephew Rita and Chris ages 6 and 3 respectfully, a merry Christmas. We had yule log, cookies, and coffee to celebrate joy noel.
Lilan took me on a tour in the mountains while the fog lifted which was short lived. Snow and fog soon followed. We did get to see some ruins, an exclusive country club, the Intercontinental hotel, and strange rock formations. Now it is 1 pm and Lilian and her mom are cooking while I read and write until the next food fest.
Yesterday we arrived around 2:30pm relieved to be off the roads. The drive had bouts of torrential downpours, sleet, hail, and whipping wind. This did not bother Lilian in the least and that made me feel better. It was nice to relax in the kitchen by the old fashion wood stove used for cooking and heating. After lunch we settled into the room with a heater. The weather outside was damp, cold, and foggy. You could not see past the end of your arm it was that foggy. I could only imagine what the mountain scenery looked like. Two hours passed with knitting, talking, and TV. Then a two hour nap was followed by a visit to next door until 11pm.
With it being Christmas Lilian and her mom set out to cook chicken, beef, and other dishes. The house smelled like a house should smell on a holiday with whiffs of roasting meat coming from the kitchen. This serene scene quickly changed to people all dressed up coming through the door with plates of food. Two long tables were set up in the room with the heater and then piles of food were laid out. I didn’t know about this and I was still in pj attire. More relatives and children came for the gathering and all the food was good. Just as quickly as the people came, they left. We also left in the evening to the city.
December 26
Another restful sleep in the cold interior of Lilian’s apt. I had a quiet morning of repacking and reading Motoring with Mohammed. A quick city tour by car under a sunny sky, sun at last, we pass by the new mosque where Hariri is buried, the clock tower, martyr’s square and an old Latin church. With lack of time in the city, a return trip is on the list.
Arrived at the airport in plenty of time for the 2pm flight; bought two last souvenirs – a shot glass for brother Steve and a magnet for me.
Notes to remember: lots of billboards with the message, “Having Regrets? Tatoo laser removal” or ads for cigarettes, alcohol, and sexy images of men and women selling various things. Not use to seeing these larger than life images.
posted by Becky of Arabia at 4:58 AM
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