Jeita grotto

Jeita grotto, Lebanon

At مزرعة الراس, Lebanon, in the valley of the dog river you can find a giant flowstone cave called the Jeita grotto. It is 10 km long and separated into two parts: the upper grotto is the opposite of narrow (with heights of more than 100 meters) and you can see spectacular formations and very long stalactites (up to 8.2 meters long) while walking 700 meters through the grotto. The lower grotto is rather short but contains an underground lake on which you can have a short boating tour (400 meters). The navigation skills of the staff are quite impressive.

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Corniche

Corniche, بيروت

If there would only be one place for a nice walk at بيروت, Lebanon, it would be for sure the Corniche – the 4.8 kilometres long promenade along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It starts in the West of the city and leads then along the North of the city centre next to a street called Avenue de Paris. Along the way, you can see the lighthouse of Beirut and the famous Pigeon’s rocks. The Corniche is often filled with people walking, chatting, playing chess or fishing.

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Armenian quarter

Beer Christmas tree, Armenian quarter, بيروت

If you’re looking for good bars and restaurants at بيروت, Lebanon, you will be often pointed towards the Armenian quarter in the primarily Christian part of the city. This region of Beirut is easy to find as the road is also called Armenia and the bars and restaurants are lined up at this road are can be found close to it. Sometimes it is referenced to as Mar Mikhael but that is only half the truth; this interesting area partially also belongs to the city quarters Geitawi and Qobayat.

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Souk

Souks, بيروت

If you expect to find a traditional market (souk) at بيروت, Lebanon, you will be pretty much disappointed. The shopping mall Beirut Souks has taken over some structures of ancient markets and you can see some ruins of the old market between the houses but it is really a modern shopping mall. Nevertheless, it might be useful to get here as you’ve got everything in place: coffee bars, restaurants, shops and also a tiny post office a little bit hidden.

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Place de l‘Etoile

Place de l'Etoile, بيروت

The Sāhat an-Nadschma or Place de l’Etoile of بيروت, Lebanon, is an important square in the centre of the city. Different roads lead to it in a star-shaped way and next to it you can find the parliament, the archaeological museum and the Saint George church (a Greek orthodox cathedral). In the middle of the square, you can find an ancient clocktower from the 1930s. The area was once filled with bars and coffee bars that were destroyed during the Lebanese civil war.

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Martyrs‘ square

Martyr's square, بيروت

It is the central square of بيروت, Lebanon, and has played an important role in Lebanese history different times: the Martyrs’ square. It was formerly an open square next to the city walls and it is therefore close to the old city centre. It leads down to the harbour and the two most iconic buildings next to it are the Mohammad Al-Amin mosque and the ‘egg‘ – a cinema with a special architecture that remained unfinished due to the Lebanese civil war. Martyrs’ square is a place often chosen for public events, protests and protest camps.

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Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque

Mohammad Al-Amin mosque, بيروت

It is a house of prayer you can’t miss when visiting the بيروت, Lebanon. The Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque is a Sunni mosque located next to the city centre and the Martyrs’ square. It is a rather new mosque; its foundation stone with laid in 2003 by prime minister Rafik Hariri and it was opened in 2008 by one of his sons. It is well visible because of its four minarets and the 42 meters high cupola coloured in blue.

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Gläserne Stadt

Gläserne Stadt, Kassel

The Gläserne Stadt (vitreous city) is a beautiful artwork that was hidden in the underground: it was created in 1968 by artist Dieter von Andrian for the one and only underground tramway stop of Kassel, Germany – located underneath the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof, now Kulturbahnhof). It is 14 meters long and 2.5 meters high and shows a detailed map of Kassel, from the Unterneustadt, the river Fulda and the Karlsaue up to the Bergpark. You can easily spot the Königsplatz and the Wilhelmshöher Allee as the main (but broken) axis through the city. The artwork is illuminated in the evening, and it is most beautiful to visit it in the evening hours.

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Elbtunnel

Alter Elbtunnel, Hamburg

Hamburg, Germany, is located at the river Elbe which splits the city into two parts: the city itself with the residential zones in the North and the docklands / industrial zone in the South. When tourists today want to see musicals in the harbour they cross the river by boat. But what about the workers that needed to cross the river twice a day? For them, the St.-Pauli-Elbtunnel or Alter Elbtunnel (to distinguish it from the motorway tunnel opened in 1975) was opened in 1911: a tunnel under river Elbe that can be passed on foot as well as with cars.

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Landungsbrücken

Landungsbrücken, Hamburg

The St. Pauli-Landungsbrücken at Hamburg, Germany, are an ancient pier for passenger ships dating back to the year 1839. These ships were by that time powered by coal and it was, therefore, wanted to keep a distance between the ships and the harbour buildings to prevent fire. The pier is 688 meters long and from here big ships went on long journeys – a place that must have seen many tears of joy and sorrow.

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