Komar Khoury never stays in Beirut for the summer. As a kid, his family always travelled up north and today he brings his own wife and children off to a nearby mountainside. This first weekend of May, they are making the first trip up there for the year.

“It´s like tradition. When summer comes we need a change of environment, both because it´s just too hot in Beirut but also because it´s nice to get out of the city,” he said.

Hussein Itani, who lives in Saifi, said that the whole apartment building where he lives, goes empty during the summer and he feels very lucky to able to get out of the humid weather.

“I feel sorry for people who have to stay here in the city all summer. Economy is bad and I know not many people can afford to summer somewhere other than their homes,” he said.

It is fairly common for city people to escape their homes for the breezy mountain winds as the temperature rises. But the streets of Achrafieh remain just as busy. The amount of cars driving never seems to seize and people are buzzing in and out of offices and stores all day long.

“We still come to Beirut for work and sometimes going out to restaurants and bars, but when I want to go home and sleep or spend time with my wife and children, it has to be outside of the city. The heat is just too much for me to wanna stay more than a couple of hours. I have to escape,” Komar said.

What about you? What is your plan to escape the heat? Share your thoughts!

• Highlight

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2013-07-01

The city is heating up and the people are getting out. These last couple of days the sun has been beaming hot over Beirut. Perfect for beach weather, but not so perfect running around town and being all sweaty as the smog seems to lock the heat down, causing us all to drip with sweat. The citizens of Achrafieh are packing up for the summer, escaping to the mountains.

Komar Khoury never stays in Beirut for the summer. As a kid, his family always travelled up north and today he brings his own wife and children off to a nearby mountainside. This first weekend of May, they are making the first trip up there for the year.

“It´s like tradition. When summer comes we need a change of environment, both because it´s just too hot in Beirut but also because it´s nice to get out of the city,” he said.

Hussein Itani, who lives in Saifi, said that the whole apartment building where he lives, goes empty during the summer and he feels very lucky to able to get out of the humid weather.

“I feel sorry for people who have to stay here in the city all summer. Economy is bad and I know not many people can afford to summer somewhere other than their homes,” he said.

It is fairly common for city people to escape their homes for the breezy mountain winds as the temperature rises. But the streets of Achrafieh remain just as busy. The amount of cars driving never seems to seize and people are buzzing in and out of offices and stores all day long.

“We still come to Beirut for work and sometimes going out to restaurants and bars, but when I want to go home and sleep or spend time with my wife and children, it has to be outside of the city. The heat is just too much for me to wanna stay more than a couple of hours. I have to escape,” Komar said.

What about you? What is your plan to escape the heat? Share your thoughts!