Amid all the Radisson hotels, Ferrari dealerships and Dunkin Donuts springing up in Beirut, there are still bullet and artillery-pocked buildings that were abandoned during past conflicts. There are so many there's even a coffee-table book about them for sale at the Virgin Megastore.
The granddaddy of them all is the former Holiday Inn. It wasn't open long before the civil war began in 1975 and it hasn't been open since. It's still solid, but at almost 30 storeys, I'm guessing it's too big for most investors to risk restoring. At least, not until the political and financial future of Lebanon looks more secure.
Will that day come? I met a restaurant owner in southern Lebanon who confidently told me he believes the next war with Israel will be the last. He said the two sides can never live together, and that his side will "finish Israel."
"Won't another war ruin your business?" I asked. "What about your children?"
"It will be better after," he replied.
The conversation was a downer, but I remain optimistic about peace. There's a lot of building going on here. Others must be optimistic, too.
The pic reminds me of a scene from "Waltz with Bashir." Especially after visiting Beirut, you MUST see that film. Unreal - trust me, you'll understand.
ReplyDeleteFrom the weekend papers: "Beirut is back… and it's beautiful How the Lebanese capital went from warzone to 2010's most glamorous tourist destination" http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/nov/08/carole-cadwalladr-beirut-lebanon
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention that you can click on the image to enlarge it. It makes the damage really stand out.
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