After a cab ride that ended with my best argument with a driver to date (because I can’t seem to write a Lebanon post without mentioning a cab ride) I met the group of about twenty some people in a plaza, confirmed my reservation and paid my 30,000 Lebanese Pounds ($20). Even though the group size for this tour was much larger than I generally like to join, I decided to go for it … and I’m so glad that I did.
Given enough time, I suppose anyone can study a list of facts about a city then convince a bunch of tourists to follow them around for a few hours. What sets Walk Beirut apart from some other tours is the guide, Ronnie, who brings personality and passion to his historical walks so that you feel engaged from the get go.
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| Our guide, Ronnie, who runs a great operation with Walk Beirut. |
Even though this is my second trip to Beirut and I’ve been here nearly 1 month this time around, I still learned quite a bit about the history and the culture of this city while also getting to check out neighborhoods I’ve not been through before. Most important I got answers to questions that have been in my head for awhile like:
- Why are there such beautiful, well-maintained buildings next to barely-standing, dilapidated buildings? (elaborate rent control schemes)
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| Beautifully maintained apartment building in the Kantari neighborhood of Beirut |
- Why do I keep bumping into Brazilians here and why do so many Lebanese have samba/capoeira as part of their parties/weddings/graduations? (culturally relevant as there are more Lebanese people in Brasil than in Lebanon)
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| OK – so not on the tour, but a picture our our Capoeira roda at a Lebanese beach party to prove my point |
- Why does it seem like Martyr’s Square and its famous statue are in the middle of nowhere? (it was in the center of the all the action… until the Civil War shelling started)
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| Section of the statue in Martyr’s Square |
- Why was the Beirut Holiday Inn such a target during the Civil War and why is its shelled carcass still standing today? (Arafat, good view points and the Kuwaitis)
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| Shelled remains of the Beirut Holiday Inn |
I promise the actual answers to those questions receive much more detail and attention on the tour.
I also picked up some interesting information on the Ottoman/French/Lebanese architecture, the 1932 census (and why its still “relavent” today) and what it means to be “March 8″verses being “March 14”. I loved walking through the Jewish Quarter which is virtually a ghost town, but with brand new buildings (no pictures allowed sadly) and learning more about the Civil War period while standing right where events took place.
But back to what I said at the start of this post, it was really the guide, Ronnie, who made the tour special. He made you feel welcomed from the start and kept a good pace all along the way. I happen to find all of this information on Beirut’s history fascinating, but then Ronnie also brought his own experiences and observations to the table and made it even more so. He used humor and good natured jokes to keep things light and if you know the answer to any of his history questions along the way, you may just get a great prize like the one I received. Good Luck!
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| Answer a question correctly and you TOO might get a Lebanon do rag! |
Notes on the Tour: The walk itself only takes place on Sunday evenings and goes for 3.5 hours (4:30 pm – 8:00 pm during the summer months) though ours did run a bit over. Even though 3.5 hours of walking sounds like a lot, there were plenty of stops and opportunities to sit along the way. We lucked out with a day that was sunny but not too hot so that helped to make the walk manageable. Nearly all of the route was fairly flat and I easily did it in my flip flops, though I’m sure proper shoes would have been even better. Take your camera, but know that you will have to put it away in higher security areas.
