Flying visit to Tyre

It's been a while since I've updated this blog. The last few weeks have been quite busy and I must admit that blogging wasn't at the forefront of my mind. So now, I have three weekends of activities to write about. First up, Tyre.

The trip to Tyre was completely unplanned as far as I was concerned. On Friday evening, a colleague mentioned that she was going to Tyre the next day. Faced with a rather uneventful weekend, I crashed the party and asked if I could go along.

Next morning, after an hour's delayed departure, I found myself in a taxi heading south. The driver was a terrible one - speeding away at up to 140 kmph and driving with frequent, jerky braking and sudden turns. We kept telling him to slow down, but he soon slipped back to his crazy driving. It was a relief when we finally arrived in Tyre.

Tyre is an ancient Phoenician city in southern Lebanon. Israel lies only about 20 km to the south. From 1982 to 2000, Tyre and other parts of south Lebanon were occupied by Israel. The area is currently under the partial administration of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which was established to manage the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. UNIFIL soldiers and vehicles are a common sight in the city. Tyre is frequently mentioned alongside Sidon (Saida locally) in the Bible. The nearby village of Qana is said to be the Cana in which Jesus performed his first miracle, turning water into wine. Today, Tyre is home of one of Lebanon's major ports. It is predominantly Shiite Muslim and has is strongly under the influence of Hezbollah. The Arabic name of the city is Sour.

The taxi dropped us off at the old city harbour, where we had a delicious seafood lunch.

The harbour

I'm told these were awesome

The fish was a lot bigger than it looks in this picture and so GOOD

From the restaurant terrace

One of the many UNIFIL vehicles around town

After a leisurely lunch, we headed to the beach and lazed around some more. The beach was almost empty, as the winter season had officially arrived - never mind that it was about 26 degrees or hotter. I'm told that in summer, there are many makeshift shops/stalls selling all manner of food and drink.

Looking to the south from our spot on the beach, a little/town seafront settlement was clearly visible. I was told that it is a Palestinian refugee camp. Talk about a prime piece of real estate! Further south, Israel could just be seen rising out of the haze. I'm told that at night, the no-man's-land separating the two countries is very clear as the light of coming from settlements on both sides if the border is suddenly broken by inky blackness. 

Palestinian camp

Where does Lebanon end and Israel begin?

After a couple of hours at the peace, we strolled towards town on the Corniche, charming a waterfront promenade, until we got to one of the Hot Springs Ruins. It is the second of the two main Roman archaeological sites in Tyre. Situated by the sea, it is a beautiful setting made even prettier in the light of the setting sun. The Romans sure knew how to build and thankfully, the site escaped damage during the Israeli bombing in 2006.

Majestic pillars

I felt lucky to capture them in this light

Roman baths

View from the entrance of the site

From outside looking in

After our little archaeological stop, we continued our walk along the Corniche. It was a nice stroll, away from the hustle and bustle, and pollution of Beirut. It was wonderfully clean too. It was nice to see families out enjoying themselves. I loved freshening evening breeze and the colours of the falling light of day.

We ended our walk at the lighthouse at the north-western tip of Tyre's peninsula. There, we found seats in a bar/restaurant and had a few drinks before heading home.

The lighthouse

From our table

Our ride home in a 1990s model and well-maintained Mercedes was a lot better than the nerve-wrecking journey to Tyre. The driver, Abdullah, was a young chap who spoke good English. He's a soldier in the Lebanese Army based in Sidon, but drives in his free time to earn extra money. We stopped in Sidon to grab a bite. Abdullah initially suggested McDonald's, but that was roundly rejected by all of us, so he found us a nice shawarma place instead.

All in all, a Saturday well spent. I'd love to return to Tyre at some point to see the Al-Bass Archaeological Site (home of the world's biggest and best preserved Roman Hippodrome, a large Necropolis, an intact Roman road and aqueduct).

Note: All photos were taken with my phone camera as I forgot my compact camera, so the quality is pretty average.