The last day of 2018 I went to the South, to the city of Sidon (or “Saida” in Arabic), the third most important city in the country, in the Mediterranean coast. That day I was planning to continue towards South and visit Tyre too, but finally I decided to take it easy since I felt a bit stomach ache and I wanted to return Beirut on time to meet another traveller I met in Byblos and eat the 12 grapes (according to the Spanish tradition in New Year Eve) together. So I enjoyed a relaxed morning in Tyre, without hurries.
As Byblos or Tripoli, Sidon was another important Phoenician settlement 3000 years B.C. Its most important vestige, the Sea Castle, doesn´t belong to this period, but thirteenth century, when the Crusaders built their fortress in this point. Other interesting spots are the Debbamne Palace, the soap museum and the Khan al-Frani, or “inn of the foreigners”, from seventeenth century.
But the part I liked the most was the maze of narrow streets in the old town, around the old souk. One of the exits of this labyrinthine place leads to the remains of Saint Louis Castle, also from the Crusade period. The site is completely in ruins and almost abandoned, but from the top of the hill where the castle is located, you can see some good views of the old town when the sea in the background.
And this is the end of my Lebanese chronicles. I hope that they can be helpful for you in case you would like to visit this country in the future, for example, during the coming holidays in Kuwait. This trip was highly satisfactory for me and I wished I could stay a few more days more (I couldn’t have time for Baalbek or Qadisha valley among other places). I hope there will be more opportunities in the future.
See you in next posts!
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