The next day, Friday, I ended up with nothing scheduled. I had hummus and Greek yoghurt for breakfast and decided to explore Beirut. Wissam was working and had to be at the office, so I was alone. I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to see Beirut. This was the first Friday (the Muslim holy day) since the death of Osama bin Laden and I was a little nervous about being alone on the streets of such a wonderful but notorious city. Having lived in New York City, Boston, and Los Angeles, I feel like I can blend in with city folk pretty easily (just look mad and don’t make eye contact). But I decided to avoid the area around Martyrs Square and the main mosques just in case there were any demonstrations or ill will toward lone American tourists.
I had a wonderful, uneventful day exploring the downtown area. I wandered over to the Corniche and walked along the sea. From a promontory I could see for miles north and south. I wondered how people that I could probably see to the south (where Hezbollah is dominant) would accept me being there on this day. I just strolled, stopping for a coffee or snack whenever it felt right. I took a lot of pictures and sent them to my 12-year-old nephew, Matthew. He, at such an early age, has the same travel bug I have and I knew he would get a kick out of seeing Beirut through my lens.
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