Part 2 of my trip brings me to Beirut to visit friends and go out. As what has become my usual greeting in Lebanon, a bomb went off at a military outpost downtown and one person was killed. Without fail, everytime I come here there is something going on. Since I arrived after dark I couldn't get a sense of the damage from the war but what is noticible now are the military stops on the main roads in town. Once the bomb went off, the roadblocks increased from one police car to three. I would have to describe the mood as manic depressive here. People are fighting back by going out and defying the destruction of the war. At the same time, the bomb puts them right back on edge. It's 11:00 pm now and soon the streets will be empty. No one wants to risk being out late when there is a fresh reminder that internal trouble still exists. I'm safe, in the odd way that one is safe in a city anywhere. My hotel is away from Central Beirut and secure. Still, I didn't want to keep my friends out when their drive home was going to be a long one. The bridges are still down and people have to take the dirt bypass that is built in place of a bridge.
Innsbruck - here despite it never being on my to-see list
First the backstory. In about a week I'll be boarding a cruise ship (this year's Cruise Trek) in Romania. When I booked the flight many months ago, I had a brilliant idea to go in a week early to Vienna and use it as a base to spend a few nights each in Albania and Bosnia. Fast forward to 6 weeks ago and the Covid restrictions, flight schedules, and hotel prices made me give up. Changing the flight to Vienna would result in penalties and possibly fare increases so I made the best of it and thought, where can I go in Austria where I've never been? Innsbruck, hmm. Can I get a free flight from Vienna? Yes! Can I get a free hotel room? Yes. Check! The city is picture perfect though. Nestled in a valley between two mountain ranges, it's green, colorful, and everything you could want a place to be when the purpose is total work decompression. No major sightseeing, no expectations. You, a city and a view. It's walkable and small. You've got to look up, left and right, ...
You are amazing and brave. Thank you for bringing world events home to me. I admire you greatly.
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