Sea Cruise from Cyprus to Lebanon

Departure from the port of Limassol. Overnight trip there, arrival in the morning, a day in Beirut, overnight return.

Text and photo below, and here is the video (duration 8:17)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3af0kriGDI

If you don’t plan to read further, just know this — one of the most impressive parts of the cruise from Limassol (Cyprus) to Beirut (Lebanon) is the Jeita Grotto. It’s absolutely incredible 🙂

Let’s sail!

Large sea tanker Ivan Bubnov, Cyprus, Limassol — Large sea tanker “Ivan Bubnov” in the port of Limassol

And here is our ship, Salamis Filoxenia. Before this, I had no experience sailing on cruise ships (only on a pleasure boat in Samara on the Volga 🙂 a hundred years ago, and later it included a Nile river cruise in Egypt).

And just a couple of years later, I ended up on board the world’s largest cruise ship, Wonder Of The Seas, and got a chance to compare the scale with my own eyes. Words can’t describe it — let’s move on…)

salamis filoxenia cyprus-lebanon cruise — I enjoyed walking around it, explored all the accessible decks from bow to stern. At this spot at night – pitch darkness, because it’s surrounded by sea, the lights are off, and the stars may be covered by a light haze.

Approaching the shores of Lebanon.

Didn’t expect Beirut to slightly resemble New York from the sea

port beirut lebanon — ***At the port. By the way, our visit to Beirut happened almost a year before the well-known tragic events. So this place surely no longer looks like it does in the photo.***

As you know, Google Photos sometimes creates gems. Take a look at what kind of monster it made out of a regular horse https://webliner.pro/monstr-ot-gugl-foto/ 😂 And here’s how it placed three airplanes in the sky one after another. It also played with the photos of the port of Beirut, resulting in a panoramic collage where I appeared three times from different angles.

Contents

Beirut Attractions
Jeita Grotto
St. Nicholas Stairs
Our Lady of Lebanon (Jounieh)
Pigeons’ Rock
Zaitunay Bay

And yes, I’m not a huge fan of Google Photos, but I want to say two things: 1) The service keeps improving and offers a lot of new features. Some of them I like. 2) Thanks to them for saving time when transferring photos — very useful.

Beirut Attractions

I added two of them to my list of world attractions I’ve personally seen.

Jeita Grotto

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!! MUST-SEE!!!! Yes, yes, YES, A THOUSAND TIMES YES! 🙂 (but don’t forget — I’m only sharing my personal opinion, nothing more).

Jeita Grotto (Jeita Grotto, مغارة جعيتا) is a complex of two caves in Lebanon, 20 kilometers north of Beirut. The upper cave was discovered in 1836 by William Thomson, and the lower cave was discovered by Lebanese speleologists in 1958. Wikipedia

Photography inside is not allowed. You can view photos on Google Maps https://goo.gl/maps/NjuhHLWHpmZjT4LY7, but let me say — the pictures hardly convey anything. You have to see and feel it for yourself.

jeita grotto lebanon beirut — These limestone figures are located near the grotto. Or how should we call them?

Christian church and Muslim mosque in Beirut, Lebanon — I’m not a religious person. But. It’s pleasing to the eye and heart — peaceful coexistence of a Christian church and a Muslim mosque. If only it were like this everywhere! On the left —
Saint George Maronite Cathedral, on the right — Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque.

St. Nicholas Stairs

Great place for a walk, definitely worth going up, there are shops and cafes nearby, all good.

St. Nicolas Stairs Lebanon — And this, apparently, is Saint Nicholas himself?…

Our Lady of Lebanon (Jounieh)

What I remember from the tour to the statue of Our Lady of Lebanon: magnificent views of Beirut, a long climb up the stairs, and paragliders blissfully soaring through the local beauty.

paragliders in Beirut — *Paragliders in Beirut*

Pigeons’ Rock

If you’re a tourist in Lebanon’s capital, you’ll see them anyway, so the question of whether to visit or not simply doesn’t arise.

***

Zaitunay Bay

Fresh and modern in feel, beautiful, and EXTREMELY DELICIOUS PLACE. Lebanese cuisine is wonderful, but here, in its homeland — it’s absolutely unreal.

Zaitunay Bay Beirut Lebanon — There are also skyscrapers and yachts here, adding a special vibe.

ONCE AGAIN! ONE OF THE MAIN ATTRACTIONS OF LEBANON IS ITS CUISINE! IT FEATURES MANY INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS AND AMAZING DISHES! THAT’S WHY THERE ARE LEBANESE RESTAURANTS ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
SO, FRIENDS, TO VISIT LEBANON AND NOT EAT WELL — MEANS NOT TO HAVE BEEN THERE AT ALL! )
THERE ARE GOOD RESTAURANTS AT ZAITUNAY BAY — I RECOMMEND IT.

ufa insurance beirut lebanon — *Ufa Insurance. Named after the capital of beautiful Bashkiria, perhaps?*

A few more photos of the Lebanese capital.

With a greenish topping — these are the famous Lebanese flatbreads Manushi. Lebanese manushi flatbread

streets in central Beirut — With a greenish topping — these are the famous Lebanese flatbreads Manushi. Lebanese manushi flatbread

mohammad al amin mosque — And once again, the beautiful Mohammad Al Amin Mosque

And that’s it, we’re sailing back. Hello again, Cyprus!

cyprus limassol coast — And there’s the Limassol coast in sight. As we approach, I rewind the trip in my head and feel surprised. ⬇⬇

Cyprus and Lebanon — two countries located close to each other. By plane it’s about 30–40 minutes, we sailed by ship for about 12 hours. But the difference in quality of life, comfort, and safety between these two countries is striking. What could be the reason? Maybe, this.