Spring Break Part 1

Sorry it has been a while since our last post, but the whole family has really been busy with a variety of activities.  Midge and Delaney performed in the Spring Concert, both kids are in plays, and Midge and I are both very active in school activities.   Needless to say...WE ALL NEEDED A BREAK!!!  Here are a few of the things that have been going on during or just before break.

Our friends Brittany and Dillon are expecting their first child and the staff of the school decided to host a baby shower for them.  We held the shower at our apartment because we have the best space for hosting.  Midge and a few other ladies on staff did a great job organizing a fun day.

Brittany and Dillon filling out the "Baby Quiz"

One of the flower arrangements

The cake from a local bakery...The writing on the cake refers to Brittany and Dillon's last name.

Talar and Zeineb with Elizabeth in the background.  Three friends that we have made in Lebanon.

Elizabeth, Midge, Sharon and Claire

Several months ago, Janna was given a bicycle.  The tires were flat and it needed a little TLC, but it is now back on the road and we decided to go down to the Corniche  to test it out.  It was a really windy day, but a fun couple of hours.

Janna on her first ride on the Corniche

Taking a break to enjoy the waves

One thing we love to do is watch the waves during a storm!

A very windy day!

 

On our way back, the Corniche was blocked off and we could see this family repeatedly throwing something into the water.  We thought they were high ranking people from the gulf states because who else could block the Corniche.  We quickly figured out that they were filming a scene for a movie and these actors were repeatedly trying to get the scene right!

Some signs of spring!

A quick blog on what I see as some signs of spring in Lebanon.  Some things may be the same, some different. The fact that it is averaging a high of 70-80 degrees here every day is a true sign that we are well into what the Lebanese would call "warmer weather" but still, they look at us a little funny when we are wearing short sleeves and they are still wearing their fleeces. 

This is the lettuce we planted about a week ago. It's some sort of romaine type. We didn't understand the package.

When we bought this plant from the nursery the owner called it a "nerd" plant. Happy to see the nerd is starting to bloom!

This is our pomegranate tree on our balcony. The red buds are the blooms about ready to open! Looks like more than one pomegranate this summer!

These tomatoes are part of the garden on our balcony!

The wonderful strawberries that are starting to appear at the fruit stand around the corner.

These are "green" almonds. Many people eat these here. You eat everything but the stem and dip them in salt. I think they are really good!

Next to the school are these really nice flowering trees. Don't know what they are but they are pretty!

This is the moth we saw on the wall of the school on Friday.  It was about 2 1/2 inches from head to tail.

This street cat was living outside of our 3rd floor entrance. Mother's day was two weeks ago and one of our colleagues couldn't leave her on the street to have her kittens.  Last week she had them. I'm sure we will soon be seeing kittens all over the place in Beirut!

Here are all 5 of them in a cute little pile. What a lucky mom and her babies!

Last but not least. Every morning we see these older men going out for a swim in the Med.  Yes, they do it all year around but it seems that there are more of them these days!

Midge goes to Mumbai!

About a week and a half ago, the school sent me to Mumbai, India to learn more about integrating technology into education. What a trip! Mumbai is a city that can overwhelm your senses! The school was incredible as was the city. Since I was in Mumbai for training I didn't get very much opportunity to look around. We had one afternoon to look around.  Here are some pictures of my adventures.

With a view of Mumbai

These TukTuks were everywhere. I didn't get a chance to ride in one. They were the daredevils of the streets.

The streets never emptied. In fact, we arrived in Mumbai at about 3:30 in the morning and the roads were still packed.

I just found this neighborhood entrance interesting.

Having a clean close shave on the street. There were many people living on the streets of Mumbai

My friend Johnny took this picture. I just found it compelling. 

This is the "City" laundry. The clothes are all color coordinated. I don't know how they know whose clothes are whose.

This young lady was on the stairs that went down to the laundry panhandling.

This monument was in the British area of Mumbai.

We went to the "Gate to India" right on the water.

While there, I was blessed and given "good luck" because it was the holy day for....some god. I couldn't understand the monk very well. He gave me some yarn around my wrist, some sort of rock candy to eat and a red dot on my forehead. I feel luckier in life now.

This is a British government building on the water next to the Gate of India

For a tip, this woman posed for a picture. To me, she was quite beautiful in her sari selling peacock feather fans. Her ears were pierced so many times I couldn't count.

We went to Gandhi's home. This was his bedroom. This is all he had in it. Makes you think about what you really truly need in life.

This monument to Gandhi was in the library on the first floor of his house.

We went past this beautiful Mosque on the shore.

We went to a Hindi Temple as well

This was part of the entrance once you went through the gate.

The inside was as ornate as the Mosques we saw in Istanbul. Quite beautiful.

 Below are more street pictures.

A man selling beautifully cut up fruit

A woman taking watermelons into the market.

Here she is going into the market.

A young street entertainer. She walked on this rope the whole time we were waiting in traffic. 

Just a neat building.

A night picture of a family living under the overpass.

Just a quick picture of a man selling street food on the corner.

 While there was a lot of beauty in Mumbai, there are some things I will never forget. The children living on the streets, the really bad smells and the mosquitoes.  Yes, the mosquitoes that NEVER went away and were EVERYWHERE. Mumbai is a great place to visit though. The group of people I went with were wonderful. I learned so much. I am also so happy I live in Beirut!

Here we all are!

A Day Trip to the Oldest City in the World

On Saturday, we hopped into a taxi and went 40 minutes north to Byblos, otherwise know as Jubayl ( جبيل ) in Arabic. While there, we went to a site that has been occupied by Canaanites, Phoenicians, Assyrians, Romans, Mamlouks, Ottomans, the Lebanese (of course), and more.  Byblos is also the word that Bible comes from. The Egyptians would bring papyrus here to trade for Lebanese cedar. At the archaeological site we spent much of our time at, scientists have found items from as far back a prehistoric times. As with may popular places to live it seems that the deeper people dig the more they find. There is a Crusader castle here with a traditional Lebanese building from the early 20th century. There are a few temples where different gods and goddesses were prayed to next to Roman columns lying on the ground. There are sarcophagi that were found in deep burial chambers underneath what would have been buildings where average people lived their lives day by day in ancient times.

Along with this awesome site, there is a beautiful shoreline with rocky and sandy beaches, an ancient harbor, wonderful souks (farmer's markets) and kind, friendly people.

Here are some pictures of the day we had!

The old Crusader Castle 

Another view. Notice the sarcophagus in the forefront. The metal fencing is the only barrier to the huge hole where they found it. I'm sure you couldn't get that close to such a deep hole in the States.

Another side of the castle.

Of course, like all ruins here in Lebanon, you always see old Roman columns just sitting around...

Janna inside the old Amphitheater. 

The seats of the Amphitheater with a great view of Byblos in the background.

Sitting in the Amphitheater and waiting for the show to start.

Next to the Amphitheater is the "Necropolis Royale". I loved the wind swept angle this tree had.

On our way out to look at the coastline and see the old traditional Lebanese house.

There were prehistoric ruins between the castle and the house.

The house got bigger and bigger as we got closer!

There were some incredible views of the shoreline from here. I understand why the house was built on a bluff.

I'm thinking we are going to come back in the spring and visit the resort beach below. 

On our way back to the castle we saw this prehistoric well. The picture doesn't do it justice. It's VERY deep.

This is where the Phoenician "Temple of the Obelisks" was moved to. It was built on top of  "The Great Temple" also known as "The L Shaped Temple". It is so old that little is know about that temple.

As we walked up to the Crusader Castle we noticed that just like the castle in Sidon (Saida in Arabic), the Crusaders "recycled" the Roman columns to help support the walls here as well.

Within the castle there were archery slots.

Like father, like daughter.

I am always astounded with the ceilings of these places. 

The view from the castle.

This was within the castle with a few other artifacts. 

A very nice couple that knew VERY little English offered to take our picture. Apparently our camera is challenging to use but still, it's not too bad of a picture. (I wish Janna was in it a little more)

On our way to the harbor we saw this beautiful church. As it always seems here, it was within the same block as a mosque.

The old harbor

Interesting that the "dry dock" is right next to an ancient wall.

This looked like a nice place to eat. We wanted a t-shirt but they didn't have any. It was also VERY expensive. We didn't eat there....

It was difficult to see where the channel was for the boats to come in and out of the harbor.

Very narrow opening to the harbor.

This nice yacht came up and anchored outside of the harbor. The flag was either from Australia or New Zealand. 

We walked out to a point on the Corniche and the view was fantastic.

Here is the traditional Lebanese house we were at earlier.

Overall, it was a wonderful day. We plan on going here again and enjoying the beaches in the future!