Lebanon Tourism, culture, music and events

By: The Daily Star   Source:   The Daily Star BEIRUT: The entrance to the  Beirut Boat Show  2014 offered a stunning view of the hundreds of millions of dollars-worth of luxury boats docked in the otherwise industrial and somewhat decrepit port area. The trade and showcase event for the country’s maritime industries opened Wednesday evening at Beirut’s Pier 1 and will continue through the weekend. Each year, it attracts a mixture of visitors – from interested buyers and boat owners to curious onlookers. And with around 200 luxury brands on display, there was plenty to see. A Maserati Ghibli welcomed show-goers at the entrance, as did diamond jewelry and luxury watches from W. Salamoon and Sons. Stands selling high-end leather goods and vodka martinis dotted the exhibition space. At Sea Pros, a Lebanese company and one of the world’s biggest distributors of luxury boats, sales associates were showing off all kinds of nautical novelties, from watersport toys to $6 million yachts bo

Date: Monday, October 20, 2014 By: Kate Maddox   Source:   The Daily Star BEIRUT: Before the 15-year Civil War ravaged Beirut, Badaro was an epicenter of the swinging ’60s scene in the Switzerland of the Middle East. Now, in a much different capital with a much different nightlife scene, it is looking to reclaim the title it lost as an effect of its proximity to the Green Line with a slew of new cafe-bars open throughout the day as well as in the evening. Wandering along the wide avenue that the neighborhood’s sleepy residential streets branch off from, it is easy to imagine the chic restaurants and bars the area was once known for, especially as the shells of some still remain, long ago abandoned but with stylized signs and hints of past grandeur lingering. “Walking down this street, it’s like you’re walking back into the ’60s. The architecture hasn’t changed,” said Rudy Mechleb, who recently opened a bakery and sandwich shop that he and his business partner hope will cater t

Youssef Fares raises the bar for olive oils   Date: Tuesday, May 13, 2014 By: Beckie Strum   Source:   The Daily Star BEIRUT: Alongside the commercially packaged balsamic vinegar and vegetable oil in our kitchen cabinet is a 2 liter bottle of 7UP filled with fragrant golden olive oil so local that the anonymous maker, from somewhere outside Nabatieh, made do with whatever containers he had. Local and delicious? Yes. Exportable? Absolutely not. One can hardly imagine rows of elegant canisters of Italian-made olive oil sharing shelf space with unmarked, recycled soda bottles. Enter Yousuf Fares, one of the country’s 17,000 olive farmers, who is trying to elevate the “made in Lebanon” brand in the global marketplace. Lebanon   is already the world’s 17th biggest exporter of olive oil, according to statistics from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. Fares says he believes Lebanese olive oil could be more competitive internationally but, like the bottle sitting at home, lac

Website: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ In honor of the Huffington Post's 9th birthday today, we're looking at "9 Places You Absolutely, Positively Must See Before You Die." Almost everyone's familiar with the perennial guide to iconic travel destinations, "1,000 Places To See Before You Die." With its emphasis on experiences, the book includes everything from the Sahara Desert to Machu Picchu. No doubt most folks have drafted at least a mental bucket list by the time they reach 50 -- and most include places people want to visit in their lifetime. We asked our Facebook fans what spots they absolutely, positively must see before they die and here's what they had to say. Have anything to add? Let us know in comments. 1. Bora Bora "I want to stay in one of the over-the-water huts. That would be so wonderful!!!!" said Mary DeBoer-Payne. 2. Denmark "I want to go there because it's beautiful and progressive," sai