May peace be upon you Beirut

Beirut is a dream
Beirut is the way life should be
whenever city and beach marry life has new meaning
beauty everywhere
plastic or not it is wonderful
the lebanese learned from the French about good taste and then they reached new levels

in beirut you want to eat and you don't want to sleep
you do not want to miss a thing
people who know how to live
how to look
how to dance
how to dine
how to work

with sweet tongues they speak only to make you feel good about yourself
in beirut you want to live
you want to kiss the clouds and stay up all night

beautiful boys and girls who fixed their flaws and are happier now
beaches that call for south france and compete with pride

a downtown that takes your breath away and gives you the joys of the past and the opportunities of the future
a lot like rio the city dances by the beach and spreads to the mountains
God gave them beauty and brains but also a will to fight

if only Lebanon was always at peace, the whole world would move there
amazing shopping, natural beauty and of course their famous nightlife is like no other

next to the new beautiful buildings by the beach you can still see traces of a war on other wounded buildings
but the war has taught them not to waste time
that nothing is for granted and that each day might be the last

so they know how to live better than any other people
they know how to grab the moment
to enjoy the peaceful times
who knows what tomorrow might bring?

lebanese food is not impossible to imitate but its so simply good and juicy and you will not find it's match anywhere else only Syria can compete.

fresh fruits and vegetables with lemon and spices that make you love being healthy
salads are the main course in many occasions but they are so creative, they are enough
food is served with love and nothing is ordinary
mediocracy does not exist

but for the lebanese women competition is a killer, every woman has done all she can to look her best
and everyday they are ready to meet anyone, they dress up like beauty queens and talk like they are not shy to be feminine
a celebration is what it is every single day and they look for excuses
the world cup was their excuse to roam the streets and cheer and sing like each winning country was their own
with passion they painted themselves in brazilian colors when brazil won
a herd of motorcycles filled the streets with brazilian flags
and the same happened when germany won
they use anything as an excuse to live and celebrate

you will not understand the lebanese way until you see it
nothing breaks them
not even war
they will dance
they will sing
they will shine anyway
let each night be lived like it were your last
and when you work you are the best
when you eat it must taste good
when you love you must be outspoken


and when you check out competition you are not subtle you will be proud to stare and threaten
when you shop you choose the latest
when you build you make art pieces
when you go out you stay all night
when you fight you fight till the end
they know about war and nothing scares them anymore
strong happy beautiful people by the beach or on the mountains no wonder all the people i know run to lebanon as much as they can

as an Egyptian i got the visa at the airport
i felt loved and welcomed like a first class citizen
they know how to welcome you
how to host and how to talk

this is why i fell in love with beirut
because lebanon can live

God Bless Beirut, and may the rages of war always be far from you, may peace be upon you Beirut