Near Sodeco Square; the crossing between East and West Beirut. When I was talking to someone yesterday, and mentioned that I drove all the way from 'the West' (meaning West-Beirut), he replied "Jeez, you still use those old terms? I don't even know where the border is." He was too young to remember.It's my favorite time of the year here; Beirut is at its best during dusk and in Fall. 
Beirut used to be described as the ‘Paris of the Middle East’. I never really understood why the comparison to Paris. Why not London, or Rome for instance? If we consider Paris the city of romance, well, there’s little of that here (although I did get managed to meet & marry the man of my life here in merely 12 days, but that’s another story altogether). But yesterday I read the following (read below) on a blog, and that made sense to me.
“Paris is a bitch, but I love her anyway.”
‘An Englishwoman who once lived in Paris shared this little saying with me the other day. We were chatting about how Paris is magical and wondrous, yet sometimes living there can be a complete nightmare. In her view, it’s a nightmare “at least 50 percent of the time.” But when you experience the fabulous parts of Paris, it’s like a dream. In Paris, all of your senses are aroused and you can walk the streets and feel as if your feet have never touched the ground. There’s no place like it in the world.
This feeling is so intoxicating that many foreigner visitors vow to move there permanently. This is an understandable but nevertheless misguided notion for the vast majority of Paris lovers. The spell that Paris casts is best experienced in small, dream-like doses. That is its power. Strolls along the Seine, reading in the gardens, the abundance of art and architecture, decadent treats in cozy cafés — this is the postcard Paris that bewitches so many of us, that draws us back again and again. But one cannot live in a postcard, so to settle in Paris over the long haul means experiencing a different side of it, one that is sometimes difficult for dreamers and romantics to handle. The real world will eventually intrude.’ (Source)
“Paris is a bitch, but I love her anyway.”
‘An Englishwoman who once lived in Paris shared this little saying with me the other day. We were chatting about how Paris is magical and wondrous, yet sometimes living there can be a complete nightmare. In her view, it’s a nightmare “at least 50 percent of the time.” But when you experience the fabulous parts of Paris, it’s like a dream. In Paris, all of your senses are aroused and you can walk the streets and feel as if your feet have never touched the ground. There’s no place like it in the world.
This feeling is so intoxicating that many foreigner visitors vow to move there permanently. This is an understandable but nevertheless misguided notion for the vast majority of Paris lovers. The spell that Paris casts is best experienced in small, dream-like doses. That is its power. Strolls along the Seine, reading in the gardens, the abundance of art and architecture, decadent treats in cozy cafés — this is the postcard Paris that bewitches so many of us, that draws us back again and again. But one cannot live in a postcard, so to settle in Paris over the long haul means experiencing a different side of it, one that is sometimes difficult for dreamers and romantics to handle. The real world will eventually intrude.’ (Source)
And in that sense, yes, Beirut is a Bitch.
An old lady crossing the street near the overpass in Basta.
5 comments:
I didn't really like the title of your post at first but after reading it I guess you are right Beirut is a Bitch!
12 days? But you always told us that eh...
Can't agree more these days... I find it hard to explain attraction when half the time I am cursing at it!
Sodeco Square. That's where I used to live, right around the corner there. More pictures, please...
Sietske, you should really consider publishing your photographs in a book. I get really homesick for Beirut when I visit your blog. You have such a terrific eye for details-- doorways, vehicles you get stuck behind driving south!
Post a Comment