Beyrouth (Beirut) / monday / 2030
i'm sitting backstage at the byblos international festival in lebanon, watching the sun go down over the med. it's strange to think that it's the same sea that you look at from the port in barcelona, or the beach in the south of france. byblos is one of the oldest cities on the planet - according to wikipedia there have been people living here for over 7000 years. we are loving beirut. it's a really noisy, bustling city, but it seems to be full of incredibly friendly people - even the taxi drivers let you cross the road (you don't get that in london). given the recent history of violence here it really does seem to be a place that just wants to move forward. i guess in europe we are used to seeing shrapnel marks and bullet holes in buildings, but from the second world war or earlier - here you see them in modern buildings, and there are military bunkers and pillboxes all over the place. i can't think of a better place to come and play music, and make friends.
we arrived quite late last night, but still managed to find a cool bar - it was still hot at 1am. this morning tim, jesse and i went or a wander down to the corniche, and walked along the shore - loads of people swimming, fishing and sunbathing on the rocks. found a nice place for lunch, and then headed out here for soundcheck. the gig is in another city, but it's just along the coast, and the land is built-up the whole way, with a strange mix of english, french and arabic signs - some familiar (mcdonalds, kfc, starbucks etc), some incomprehensible...
it's amazing to hear that people are coming from far and wide to this show - our first show in the middle east. and it's an amazing setting - right on the shore in front of a phoenician ruin. i wish we could stay and explore some more. maybe next time!
El Rawsheh - people climb these and jump off! insanity...
andy's with us too - it's always nice to have him along
this fella was practicing his diving
this may look nice, but that outflow didn't smell very healthy to me.
this lemonade / mint drink was probably the mot refreshing thing i've ever tasted
