Day one, 21st July

Tuesday, 21st of July Day One

After arriving at the Marble Tower Hotel in the Hamra district, our luggage secured in the lounge before additional rooms were available. Rami, one of the hosts of the festival, took us for a early walk around the neighbourhood. The first impression of daytime Beirut let us along the university, ending at a diner 'barbar'. Here we were treated to some fine culinary arts native to Lebanon. After this pitstop, we continued our tour towards the sea. Along the way we encountered some urban wildlife, the scorching lebanese sun and the erratic traffic. The mediterranean sea appeared on the horizon, providing an idyllic view of the Beirutian coastline. We were drawn to a small oasis, where we enjoyed some refreshments. Around eleven we returned to the Hotel to catch up a few hours of sleep.

At 1 pm, the entire group ventured to the campus of Lebanese American University. The group was treated on a tour around the campus by Rami, Ilat and another student. The tour led us past the gym, the two theatres, the campus gardens, the library, the new building and quite a few interesting people. After a decent lunch and some final announcements, the group split up to attend to production related matters.

Around 10, dinner was served in the Hotel. The delicious meal and a wonderful first day were topped off by a toast.