Before we got to Lebanon, we weren’t sure if we’d need a couple of days to see the sites in Beirut. We had a full day of touring yesterday, plus another half day planned to see the city on the day we leave for Cyprus. After yesterday we didn’t feel like we needed more time in Beirut so day trip it was.
We booked a driver for a day trip to Sidon and Tyre, both south of Beirut on the Mediterranean. Originally, we planned to do a half day trip to Sidon, but Samer suggested we make a full day of it and include Tyre, a city with both ruins and a nice waterfront /harbour atmosphere.
Our driver from yesterday (Rita) was already booked for an excursion by a couple of guests at our hotel, so we had another driver (it was too bad since we preferred Rita).
It was a quick 45 minute drive to Sidon. First, we stopped by the Sea Castle, which was a small crusader-like fort just off the shore. It was okay, worthwhile as part of a larger visit to Sidon.
Next, we walked around the old city. We visited the Soap Museum, which was more interesting than one might think. Bought some soap at the gift shop, picked up a map of the souq, and then wandered around. For once, the Lonely Planet had something right: the map at the Soap Museum is a good map.
Unfortunately for us, it was Friday and most of the shops in the souq were closed. It was still cool to wander around the narrow alleys and tunnels of the souq. It’s one of the more interesting souqs from an architectural standpoint that we’ve visited.
Back on the road to Tyre (it’s pronounced like the first syllable of tyranny). We first drove 10 minutes past Tyre for a quick visit to Kana, where Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding feast. There’s a grotto about a five minute walk into the site from the parking lot. The views of the valley are nice.
We then drove back to Tyre, to the old port, which is a UNESCO heritage site. Our driver insisted on driving all the way in, which took about 20 minutes longer than if he had parked just outside and let us walk for 200m. He’s been driving for 35 years. I think back when he started out as a driver, driving all the way in to the sites was easy; now it’s just part of his routine.
Samer told us to try the seafood in Tyre. (Oddly, we haven’t seen much seafood on the menus in Beirut at the restaurants we’ve eaten at, even though the city is on the Mediterranean coast). Our driver recommended Phonecia, supposedly one of the best in town. We walked in without a reservation and got the last table, kind of buried in the back of the restaurant. We debated trying another place, but we were more in it for the food as opposed to the atmosphere, so we stayed.
We ordered the grilled sea bass, tabouleh salad, and glass of local white wine each. The wine was excellent! The staff was overwhelmed, and the rest of the meal wasn’t as enjoyable, although the fish was very fresh.
After lunch we walked around the old port town, which is very photogenic. They have some good accommodation options, but when I was initially planning I though it was better to have the five nights in one place and just do day trips.
Met our driver and then spent around 30 minutes driving about 50m out of the old city. Another 90 minutes brought us back to our hotel in Beirut. Our driver was easily distracted by his phone or with just about any bright shiny object; Heather said it was the first time she was genuinely concerned about arriving in one piece. At least we booked Rita as our driver for our next day trip; we probably would have cancelled our next excursion if it was the same driver as today.
We had reservations for dinner today at Mayrig (see yesterday’s blog where we wandered around from restaurant to restaurant looking for a table). It’s a Lebanese / Armenian restaurant, and the food was very good. We’re never sure of portion sizes here, so we usually just ask the waitstaff if it’s the right amount of food. Most times we end up getting the right amount. Our waitress at Mayrig, though, either upsold us or overestimated how much we could eat, since there was way too much food leftover. Oh well.
No comments:
Post a Comment