A New Sidewalk

Where there are sidewalks in Beirut, they are certainly for the sure-footed. Lengthy stretches of uninterrupted, smooth walkways are rare outside Downtown. Now that I'm not trying to push a stroller through this town it isn't a big deal. And anyway, with all the construction going on all over there's a good chance some of the sidewalks will improve. And if they do, this is probably what it will look like:

I took this picture a few days ago on Rue Rebeiz in Hamra, where the workers were paving in front of the shops on one side of the street. That odd, flat volcano on the right is cement, mixed by hand, right on the road. Practical, if you ask me. When I walked by yesterday the new sidewalk was all but finished.