Family Ties: Amioun and The Ghantous Family
After two days full of wandering and eating in Beirut, CJ, Robert and I met up with Joseph, my Mom’s cousin, to hitch a ride to Amioun - a small town about 90 minutes north of Beirut. This town is where my Jidu (grandfather in Arabic) grew up and where much of his family, the Ghantouses, still live today. The three of us stayed with my Great Uncle Edward (Joseph's father and Jidu's brother) and his wife my Great Aunt Gina.
Joseph, only a few years older than us, works in Dubai and Beirut but spends a lot of his weekends with his parents in Amioun. Throughout the weekend, Joseph quickly went from family, to friend, to full-time shepherd and Lebanese historian. In short, Joseph is the man.
Quick shoutout to CJ for being a selfless photographer this weekend so that Robert and I could get photos with our family. But do not fret - the shortage of CJ photos in this post will be redeemed tenfold. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
On our first full day in Amioun, we joined Uncle Edward and his wife Gina at their beach club. With crystal clear water and soft, smooth sand, It was one of the nicest beaches I've ever been on. Well done Mediterranean Sea.
After some swimming and lunch, we went on a beach walk with my Great Aunt Afaf, Edward and my Jidu’s sister. I had heard tales about Afaf’s walking and talking abilities, but she far surpassed expectations, leaving us in the dust multiple times.
That night, Joseph had his home friends over for a rooftop barbecue. I will save details of the meal for the Lebanon food post. While we cooked, we sipped Arak, a traditional Lebanese drink that tastes oddly similar to licorice. Talking to Joseph and his friends, we learned more about the current state of Lebanon, particularly the fallout of the 2019 financial crisis, 2020 port explosion, and Covid. Long story short - Lebanon has been going through it.
The next day, Robert and I set out for a short run that quickly turned into a hike up a mountain to escape the depths of a mystery olive orchard. Google Maps failed me. Shoutout Joseph for picking us up at a nearby road.
Joseph, only a few years older than us, works in Dubai and Beirut but spends a lot of his weekends with his parents in Amioun. Throughout the weekend, Joseph quickly went from family, to friend, to full-time shepherd and Lebanese historian. In short, Joseph is the man.
Quick shoutout to CJ for being a selfless photographer this weekend so that Robert and I could get photos with our family. But do not fret - the shortage of CJ photos in this post will be redeemed tenfold. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
On our first full day in Amioun, we joined Uncle Edward and his wife Gina at their beach club. With crystal clear water and soft, smooth sand, It was one of the nicest beaches I've ever been on. Well done Mediterranean Sea.
After some swimming and lunch, we went on a beach walk with my Great Aunt Afaf, Edward and my Jidu’s sister. I had heard tales about Afaf’s walking and talking abilities, but she far surpassed expectations, leaving us in the dust multiple times.
That night, Joseph had his home friends over for a rooftop barbecue. I will save details of the meal for the Lebanon food post. While we cooked, we sipped Arak, a traditional Lebanese drink that tastes oddly similar to licorice. Talking to Joseph and his friends, we learned more about the current state of Lebanon, particularly the fallout of the 2019 financial crisis, 2020 port explosion, and Covid. Long story short - Lebanon has been going through it.
The next day, Robert and I set out for a short run that quickly turned into a hike up a mountain to escape the depths of a mystery olive orchard. Google Maps failed me. Shoutout Joseph for picking us up at a nearby road.
After the run, we took a roadtrip to the Lebanese Mountains where we were completely blown away by the views of cedar trees (national tree), valleys, and mountain towns.
We stopped at the peak briefly before continuing down to the other side to find this standalone restaurant that served Mezza, which is basically Lebanese tapas. This ended up being one of the single best meals of my life. More to come.
That night, we kept the party rolling with Joseph and his friends at a beach club in Betroun. This was our first time going out on the entire trip and it was well worth it. This music was great and the views were immaculate. Also the DJ was a nearly 7 foot retired Lebanese national basketball player - hell yeah.
For our last full day in Amioun, Afaf was our chauffeur. We started our day at the Lebanese Orthodox church where they were swearing in a new pastor. Robert and I were both baptized in the same denomination in Massachusetts at the church where my Jidu and Tita attend. The Arabic singing reverberating off the brick walls never gets old.
After church, Afaf took us to meet a plethora of Ghantous family members, including my Jidu’s brother Omar, who took us on a tour of the family's olive tree orchard where Omar maintains and harvests tons of olives each year to make olive oil!
After the orchard tour, we sat and enjoyed some coffee with the family.
Below is the house where my Jidu grew up with his 10 siblings! It used to be a single room. While the core structure remains, it has undergone some additions and renovations.
We then joined Omar and his wife Nicole for another mezza feast where, despite a valiant effort, we could barely finish half the food. Our disappointment faded quickly after a 5 year old boy (who we presume was the son of the owner), started flipping us off. Yes - this little boy was throwing us the bird. Over and over again for 10 mins. Each time funnier than the last. In hindsight, we recognize that our laughter probably encouraged him, but there was no way to stop. Eventually, he came over and tried to use my camera. Then CJ got a fist bump from him.
We then did more walking with Afaf, rode a 4x4 through the olive orchard, and ended the day eating some tasty food with Helena (Omar’s daughter) and her two year old daughter Mila.
For me, Lebanon was the highlight of the trip so far. From the food to the nature to the history to connecting with such a large part of my family for the first time, I will never forget this week in Beirut and Amioun. I hope I’ll have the chance to return soon - and hopefully with more of my family! Till next time Lebanon
We stopped at the peak briefly before continuing down to the other side to find this standalone restaurant that served Mezza, which is basically Lebanese tapas. This ended up being one of the single best meals of my life. More to come.
That night, we kept the party rolling with Joseph and his friends at a beach club in Betroun. This was our first time going out on the entire trip and it was well worth it. This music was great and the views were immaculate. Also the DJ was a nearly 7 foot retired Lebanese national basketball player - hell yeah.
For our last full day in Amioun, Afaf was our chauffeur. We started our day at the Lebanese Orthodox church where they were swearing in a new pastor. Robert and I were both baptized in the same denomination in Massachusetts at the church where my Jidu and Tita attend. The Arabic singing reverberating off the brick walls never gets old.
After church, Afaf took us to meet a plethora of Ghantous family members, including my Jidu’s brother Omar, who took us on a tour of the family's olive tree orchard where Omar maintains and harvests tons of olives each year to make olive oil!
After the orchard tour, we sat and enjoyed some coffee with the family.
Below is the house where my Jidu grew up with his 10 siblings! It used to be a single room. While the core structure remains, it has undergone some additions and renovations.
We then joined Omar and his wife Nicole for another mezza feast where, despite a valiant effort, we could barely finish half the food. Our disappointment faded quickly after a 5 year old boy (who we presume was the son of the owner), started flipping us off. Yes - this little boy was throwing us the bird. Over and over again for 10 mins. Each time funnier than the last. In hindsight, we recognize that our laughter probably encouraged him, but there was no way to stop. Eventually, he came over and tried to use my camera. Then CJ got a fist bump from him.
We then did more walking with Afaf, rode a 4x4 through the olive orchard, and ended the day eating some tasty food with Helena (Omar’s daughter) and her two year old daughter Mila.
For me, Lebanon was the highlight of the trip so far. From the food to the nature to the history to connecting with such a large part of my family for the first time, I will never forget this week in Beirut and Amioun. I hope I’ll have the chance to return soon - and hopefully with more of my family! Till next time Lebanon
This makes me soo happy!!! Love my family in Amioun. I can’t wait to go there with you, Robert, Serena and Dad!
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