31 janvier 2008
Party
Smiling...
...drinking...
...dancing...
...some funny moves...
Obviously something is being celebrated here...
23 janvier 2008
Shoe shine
Beirut is full of surprises...
This is just a shoe-shine, shoe-repair kind of place, that one can encounter anywhere in the Middle East. An old fashion shop, where time seems to have stopped and that nobody seem to care about when walking pass through it. Nothing to write home about you may think. Bear with us then; we like this kind of place...
Downtown Beirut has lost all its Middle East features. The districts around the city centres are all about skyrises, expensive hotels, fancy restaurants, top end shops and trendy nightclubs. The beauty of this shop is that it is in the heart of Gemayze, an old fashion becomed ultra trendy district. One would not expect to find such a place in this expensive neighborhood.
We are curious so we come in. There is this old man in one corner of the room, barely looking at us, busy polishing various pairs of shoes. He slowly turns his head, and smiles at us. His eyes seem to say "please come in, have a sit, you're welcome." He quietly gets back to his work. Every detail of the shoe gets his attention. Taking his time, he makes sure they are polished the perfect way. Rita sits close to him. A woman stands and patiently awaits the master to finish his work. I sit at the other side of the room, watching this out of the world scene.
After 20 minutes of consciencious work, the old man turns back to her client, and hand over the shoes. She pays and silently leaves the shop. He turns his attention to us and starts scrutinizing the shoes we hand over to him, as if those were mistreated treasures. He nods favourably to Rita's shoes. 'These are high quality' he says. 'You did not purchase it in Lebanon'. Rita smiles and let him fix her shoes. He makes wonder on some, that almost look like new. Some others will require more work and we happily give him time.
It will give us another chance to share his world.
21 janvier 2008
Old Beirut
Beirut is not only about modern buildings. One can also find great treasures. Any idea what this is about?
15 janvier 2008
Merry Christmas!!
It becomes a tradition. Our Christmas was celebrated at Mireille, my very-short-of-a-chef cousin! The kids of course were very anxious for 'HIS' arrival... Everything in the house was tastefully decorated, the walls, the tree, the ceiling (with golden balloons), and of course the table. Despite the numerous delicious dishes (5 cold entrees, all kinds of cheese and charcuterie, 2 hot entrees, 4 main dishes and 5 desserts), at no time during the eve did we stop eating. Mireille had prepared a surprise, the very Lebanese trademark of santa red and white hats for every guest. Jeremie was the assigned photographer and took his job very seriously. At 1 am, almost everyone had red cheeks from the wine and had forgotten that the santa claus hats were just for the photo shoot...
All the photos of this great evening here.
11 janvier 2008
The race
Ready for the race. Rita gets the final instructions.
After a 2 laps warm up, the race starts. The photo is self explanatory of who is ahead....
Some seem quite serious....
whereas others are more relaxed!
With our friend Imad.
(photos taken by Lutecia)
09 janvier 2008
Kings of Karting
Getting ready. Final instructions.
The race can start...
03 janvier 2008
Welcome to Lebanon
This is a cake.
Visitors to Lebanon should know that a cake is an essential item for any social event in Lebanon.
No party, celebration, dinner, family lunch, religious celebration, you name it, can take place without a cake. A cake-free party is almost unheard of in this part of the world...
Hey, here we are back in Lebanon. Back to our favourite country. Back to close friends and family.
And back to lovely cakes...
01 janvier 2008
Sunset
Happy new year!
