Lebanon, a dream destination (I)

When you get into Lebanon for the first time, you'll be amazed by the hospitality of their people. You will be given a firm handshake along with a broad smile that you'll never find in any other country. Lebanon is an excellent tourist destination because besides the friendly people, Lebanon has luxurious beaches, remarkable and reachable mountains, delicious food and well preserved archaeological remains.

Lebanon has a Mediterranean climate, but being a mountainous country, climate changes depending on altitude. Down on the coast, summers are very hot and humid, and winters are quite mild. On the tips of the mountains you’ll find snow even in July, and the winters are severe.

One thing is guaranteed. In Lebanon you will feel great and you'll not encounter any issues dealing with the locals. They are the only speakers of Arabic which add foreign words in their dictionary. In urban areas in Lebanon (especially Beirut) most people speak good English and French; some know even Italian.

If you visit Lebanon, you must taste some of their traditional dishes. Lebanon is not an expensive country. You can choose to eat from street kiosks or restaurants. Anything you will choose, the price will not frighten the tourists. It's good to know that lunch is the main meal in this country. Most of the food must be consumed with bread, called markuk which is thin as paper. Lebanese do not mix fish and dairy products. Mezze is a dish that is served as an appetizer and it can be served in small portions. Kibbeh is the national dish, made from lamb or beef and wheat.

The most common ingredients are laban (a kind of yogurt), rice, lentils, grape leaves, rose water, sesame, chickpea and mint. The wine is produced in Lebanon for hundreds of years. A unique drink is arak, a kind of spirit with anise. Other popular beverages are very thick coffee, and tea with lots of sugar.