I wonder what response the US government will make to the explosion in Lebanon.
Yikes.
I took a trip to Malta and Cyprus in late Feb to March 3.
And had wanted to fly in/out of Beirut, but Lebanon was experiencing protests and economic turmoil. So instead we used Athens as our base, which worked well, since people were really friendly in Athens and the food is terrific.
But I had researched quite a bit for a 4 or 5 days in Lebanon. There are some ancient Roman ruins in Baalbek, near the border with Syria, a few world-class vineyards in the Bekaa Valley (
two were recently rated in the Top 40 worldwide), and the world's largest statue of the Virgin Mary on a hill outside Beirut aka Our Lady of Lebanon, plus both Beirut and a coast to explore. I was looking forward to Lebanon.
Last year their prime minister was kidnapped by Saudi Arabia, resigned, then returned and was reinstated. But I think he resigned again during the protests last Fall. Lebanon's currency has lost 80% of its value this year. USD has traditionally been used as a secondary currency. But not sure how folks survive when their money becomes worthless.
https://cn.bing.com/images/search?q=Virgin+Mary+statue+lbanon&form=HDRSC2&first=1&scenario=ImageBasicHover&cw=1117&ch=438