Ruining the ruins

In the words of Greek sista: 'We have ruined the ruins!'

Walking - nay, performing - through the ruins of Byblos this week (said to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, with proof of life dating back to 5 000BC!), we managed to entertain ourselves so much that the other tourists must have thought we were paid performers, re-enacting scenes from days long past, and that it was part of the Byblos experience they had paid for. Next time we'll leave a hat on the ground for tips.

Greek sista 'carries' a sarcophagus of one of the Phoenician city's important dead men. (Note that our performances did not come with any historical information. Maybe that's why the tourists returned to their guide.)

Showing a modern-day Lebanese woman's collagen lips while the olden-day Lebanese woman's 12th-century Crusader castle demonstrates how au naturel is much longer-lasting.

Romeo and Juliet fall in love once again in the Roman amphitheatre. This time they'll kill themselves by drowning in the Mediterranean. Tragedy with a splash!

Unfortunately our onlookers (which actually only turned out to be one young chap from Osaka, Japan) were not giving us a standing ovation, so Greek sista quickly assumed the role of rooting audience.

Trying to imagine what the pillar standing on this post could have looked like in who knows when... The old house in the background is apparently a World Heritage Site, but more than that we do not know - except that it has a great view of the Edde Sands beach resort from its top step.

From Neolithic cavemen to the first city of the Phoenicians and then home to the Crusaders, Byblos (which used to be known for its papyrus trade that resulted in the Bible being named after the city, and also as the birthplace of the first alphabetic phonetic script), is a good place to find an excellent rock to perch on and shim el hawa.