Framed

Lately, I've been very interested in Beirut's tiled facades. I like how the wires strung all around framed this view of yet another one that I recently found in Hamra.

I can't help feeling bemused and possibly amazed that tiles like this were once the hottest thing in architecture in Beirut.

Taken

Just above Bread Republic in Hamra, you'll see this:

I'm quite taken with all of this.  Tiny balconies, good for nothing except taking one single step forward into the fresh air, are never the less profoundly beautiful.  Shuttered doors leading out to that balcony make it that much better.  I love the flowers (or are they sheaves of wheat?) carved into the balcony's supports.  I've recently become interested in concrete balustrades but the strong geometry of this iron one is calling to me.  And the colors: the creamy, gray sort of beige and the steely blue combination stopped me in my tracks.  I love how the picture turned out, the light is exactly what I'd want it to be. And (this part surprised me), I'm growing fond of these typically-Beirut street lights.  I love that bold, black arc, like an open parenthesis over the whole image.

Book Bazar

I walked by this shop not long ago. Second hand stores aren't all that common, so the opportunity to "buy and sell old books" caught my eye. Also, not many places in Beirut have this much color. So I stopped and took a picture.

It was later on that I paid more attention to what they had to offer. I couldn't help noticing that Sex in the City in Arabic (below the big yellow Z in the shop's name) sits beside a book about Osama Bin Laden. I wonder if that was done deliberately.

Too bad their selection of books in English seems limited to works of philosophy and antisemitism.

One of Those

Sometimes, I have nothing to say about an image, nothing except I like it.

This is one of those times.

Late Afternoon

It's late afternoon and the setting sun shines down at just the right angle to light up a few wires strung across the street.

It only lasts a few moments and then it's gone. And it makes me smile to think that it'll be back again tomorrow.

One of the Mysteries

Contradictions, inconsistencies, paradoxes, conundrums.

That's what you call it when you've got a handle on the facts, when you really grasp what's going on, when you can identify what the pieces are and how they interrelate in a bigger story of something that doesn't make sense.

But without that, without identifying the contradictory factors, or the premises that can't logically exist together . . . without that an analysis will never step beyond the domain of mystery. 

For me (most of the time), Beirut continues to be one of the mysteries.

House of Dreams

Some people fly in their dreams, save the planet, exact revenge, show up naked.

I dream of houses. I dream them inside and out. I dream balconies and gardens, verandas and pathways. I explore, turning up secret rooms, whole other floors where marvelous things wait. There'll be swimming pools and libraries, guest bedrooms, curiosity cabinets filled with mysteries. I dream hidden passageways, secret cupboards, attic spaces and butler's pantries.

A house is a great place for dreaming.

Beautiful Old Balustrades

For your viewing pleasure today, I've collected images of some of the balustrade patterns you'll see on Lebanese homes of a certain age. I'm not sure, but my guess is that these are cement, not stone.

I'm sure there are more patterns out there, and as ever, I will continue to collect photos of any others that I find.

L' Artisan Du Liban

Summer travel is approaching. Part of preparing to go is lining up a few good hospitality gifts and souvenirs for friends and family.

There are a lot of boutiques and souvenir shops in Beirut and they're all good, but if you ask me, L' Artisan du Liban is the best of them all. They have a wide variety of giftable things, plenty of it in stock and the prices are fair.

Under Construction

Welcome to June, everyone. The summer countdown began long ago. It's nearly here.

The first of each month, I usually participate in City Daily Photo's Theme Day, and today's theme "Under Construction" could be placed as a rider on nearly every photo you see here. Sometimes it feels like all of Beirut is a work in progress.

Construction still fascinates me even though it's omnipresent.  I've taken plenty of photos of different construction projects since beginning this blog. In case you want to see, I have tagged more than thirty "construction" photos on this site, which feature (among other things) construction methods, materials, safety gear, equipment, etc.

There's so much construction going on in Beirut that you'll regularly hear concerns about urban planning, license disputes, real estate bubbles, historic preservation, etc. Such concerns arise due to OVER construction, or a sense that there can be too much of a good thing.

The opposite of over construction? Under Construction: when buildings that should have been revived or demolished long ago manage to linger for years as dilapidated, unsightly messes on prime real estate.

Beirut has some famous, monumental examples to be sure, but this one is my personal favorite. It has an unimpeachable sea view, excellent high-rise potential, and it sits on the perfect spot for commercial establishments at the street level.  It's ripe for some kind of action, and yet here it is, unchanged.

Today, bloggers around the world are posting "under construction" photos from their city. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants