Wissam’s brother picked us up at the airport and they quickly dropped me off at my hotel as I think Wissam was anxious to see his mother. The hotel was a trendy American chain that was in a bustling downtown area. The first thing that struck me after my time in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait was the bar. I checked in, dropped my things in my room, and decided to have a nightcap to celebrate my safe exit from the Arabian Peninsula at this precarious time. I sampled a local Northern Lebanese white table wine. Despite my low expectations (and, perhaps, Californian affectations) I was blown away by the complex flavors. This was not a response to being in wine-free countries as this experience was replicated over the next few days. The Lebanese can make wine!
The next morning Wissam picked me up, and we stopped by their corporate office in Beirut to get the rest of his team. From my hotel in downtown near the Mediterranean, we headed east past the infamous Green Line, a flashpoint and heavily contested area dividing the Muslim and Christian sections of Beirut. Though life on the street seemed to be going on just like in any other big city, I could not help but notice the occasional pockmarked building and soldiers around armored personnel carriers on every corner. Interestingly, however, the soldiers were always outside of their vehicles chatting with folks on the street. If they were not worried, I wouldn’t be either.
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