La Corniche

I went for a jog today along the Corniche, the lovely wide sidewalk along the sea. It was Sunday morning, and there were lots of people out fishing, swimming, snorkeling, and just goofing around in the water. The Corniche itself was full of couples, families, dogwalkers, joggers, you name it, all out to soak up some sea breezes.
 
I jogged past the Manara lighthouse, which was bombed by Israel in 2006. I heard that it was the only target they hit in Ras Beirut (or 'head of Beirut,' the part of town bordering AUB). I suppose is was a high-profile one.
 
The funny thing is that there is an older lighthouse right nearby that has been swallowed up by tall buildings. I hear that there has been a lighthouse on this part of the coast since Ottoman times, if not before.
 
After my rather short jog (I'll attibute its brevity to the heat, and not to the fact that I haven't been to Karen's aerobics classes for some weeks now!), I strolled around on campus again. I noticed that one landscaped patch was full of giant aloe vera plants. After checking them out, I noticed that right next to them was a fragrant thicket of rosemary bushes. The campus never ceases to amaze. Nor do the feral cats, which seem oddly social with one another, though not all that interested in two-legged life forms.
 
All in all, another lovely day in Beirut. Let's hope it stays this way!