As I expected  I would, I completely fell in love with Beirut and with Lebanon.  It is one of the most diverse and beautiful countries I have ever been to, so rich in culture and history.  A country built on centuries of conflicting traditions, religions and wars, now all existing alongside the other.  Where you can see women in burkas next to those in booty shorts, a Sunni mosque neighbouring a Maronite Christian cathedral, and where you can buy the most incredible croissants along with sfeeha and labneh.  It’s an Arabic country on the surface, but if you look close enough, you can see the reflection of Ottoman and French influence.  And as you venture deeper within it’s hills, you travel back in time, observing how the country has changed over decades, centuries, and even millennia.  
Despite their long history of oppression and tragedy, the Lebanese are the most welcoming and generous people I’ve ever met. They are resilient, overcoming one catastrophe only to fall into another.  The bullet-riddled buildings line the streets like a badge of honour, a a symbol of how resilient they are, and a reminder of what they can overcome.