Christmas Day - Beirut

On Christmas afternoon we flew out for a brief vacation in Beirut, Lebanon. It is only a 1 1/2 hour flight, so we were there is no time at all. After checking into the hotel, we went for a sunset walk along the Corniche.

Corniche - Beirut, Lebanon

The next day we walked around a lot of the city, taking in a few more of the sights.

This suprised me - mosque with a Christmas tree in front!

Although massive reconstruction is underway in the city, reminders of the 15 year civil war are all around. The photo below is of the old Holiday Inn, Beirut. It became a prime sniper position and attracted all many of fire power, leaving it in the bullet-riddled state we see today. It was reportedly built to withstand earthquakes, so is apparently structurally sound, albeit in need of some TLC.

Holiday Inn, Beirut - scarred from a 15 year civil war.