A walk to remember

I have always loved this city. Who doesn’t anyway!

If you’ve ever been to Byblos (Jbeil), I bet that you were enchanted by its spirit… yes I say its spirit (Whether it is the harbor, the Mediterranean Sea, the 10000 years old stones holding the civilizations’ secrets or the traditional Lebanese houses; especially this one house, standing alone on the hill, overlooking the clear blue sea and incarnating in its solitude and uniqueness the sorrow, beauty, glory and pride of a nation).

It was 7:30 AM, and for the first time, I had the city to myself.

I have often visited Jbeil by night, for a concert, a drink in one of its modern busy pubs or for a romantic escapade. Plenty of memories there… Good and bad, they remain memories of ‘old and wise Byblos’.

So back to 7:30 AM, to my random morning walk, to the day I fell in love with a city.

As I passed through the medieval walls surrounding it, I was greeted by an old lady, with a warm smile on her face: “Bonjour tante”, she said. Unlike her, I replied with a very shy “Bonjour” but understood immediately that, waking up with Byblos, gave me the leverage of being part of the morning ritual.

I continued my walk, heading towards the harbor. I crossed the historic quarter where every wooden door and abat-jour window told an intense story. To my left stood the castle deserted. Only a very old man, all dressed up, with a red tarbouche on his head, a cane in one hand and a ‘man’ouche’ in another welcomed me with a wide smile: “tfadale ammo” (inviting me to have breakfast with him). I was overwhelmed! I thought this man only existed in my mother’s memories and stories. Well I finally met him! And I am glad I did!

Few meters separated me from THE port.  I could see from far that it was busy, not with fancy boats (the usual sight on  Sundays noon) but with very modest fishermen’s ones.

They were cleaning and undoing their nets. Few people gathered around them to get the best of today’s catch.

One of them called me politely. He insisted he had good fish and recommended I take them. “Almost a kilo, you will not regret it!”  He shouted.

A mid aged man, long grey hair, all dressed in a white suit, sitting on a bench facing the port, smiled to me and spoke slowly: “The fish is good, don’t worry if you are not a connoisseur, trust me it’s good!”

He was right, I was confused and it was not because of the fish. I was simply charmed.

I sat there for an hour or so, contemplating the still water, thinking…. It was not that random after all! The ‘morning Byblos’ resembles itself more than the ‘evening one’.

The wrinkled faces I met, that greeted me with generous smiles and made me feel at home, withhold the spirit of the wrinkled city’s stones.

The spirit of a city…..