A half hour north of Beirut, Byblos (locally known as Jbeil) is one of Lebanon's five UNESCO World Heritage Sites due to all its history, accumulated as one of of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities – around 5,000 years. A popular getaway for the Lebanese, this lovely fishing port features an exquisite (if these days a bit touristy), cobblestone-paved medieval quarter and archaeological site including a Crusader castle and ruins dating back to ancient Phoenician, Greek, and Roman times. Here I'm outside one of its medieval palaces with my husband José Balido and our dear Lebanese friend Wissam al-Khoury.

By the way, I covered this site and the country's other magnificent attractions here on Tripatini three years ago.