Beirut on sea
© Benjamin CremelIf seaside promenades could talk, Beirut’s Corniche would have plenty to narrate. Once buzzing with careless tanners and dreamy joggers on one side and crashing blue waves of the Mediterranean on the other, the boardwalk has been witness to everything from the civil war to broken dreams.
It’s hard not to notice the group of heavily tanned men, young and old, congregating around what appears to be an infinity pool backdropped by snow-capped mountains and a cityscape of freshly built skyscrapers.
They talk about their love for the sun and the sea. Some apply tanning oils, others prefer carrot creams. Some shave their legs, others boast their hairy chests. Some play racquetball, others bet on a game of cards. Some are fasting for Ramadan, others are having a smoke or two. Some decide to pray, others go for a dive. Some worship the Prophet, and others swear by Jesus. No one cares about the other’s upbringing or beliefs. There’s no right or wrong, no one is judging. They feel free here, on the edge of their broken country.
They’re in a bubble beyond the palm trees, forming a melting pot sample of Lebanese society on a concrete beach. A mix of disillusionment and hope is what they have in common as they share this free piece of blue serenity, a rarity in a country where the coast is stolen from citizens and transformed into private businesses.
In a multi-confessional district, several generations come together each day for a swim, a laugh, or just to pass the time they have plenty of. « No storm, no hail, no conflict can keep me away from this place », says Abu Khodr, the eldest among them. Unless he’s in the countryside or visiting his 8 children or 40 grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Canada, the 85-year-old says he has never missed a day of swimming for the past 40 years.
While some of the jobless youngsters look with glistening eyes at the planes flying overhead, dreaming that one day a golden visa will take them away from their country’s misery, the blue-eyed quips with wise elegance, « I’ve never been happier anywhere else. It’s paradise here.
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