Fünfte Reise Tag 111: Kinder wie Möwen

Date: August 27, 2025
Location: Sidon, Lebanon

In Sidon on the coast of Lebanon, an ancient Phoenician port known for its Sea Castle and storied soap-making tradition, the day opened in a warm haze. Markets pressed into narrow lanes, the Mediterranean close enough to salt the air and soften every edge.

Sound Before Sight

I first experienced the city through sound before seeing it — voices layered over each other in the market, a call to prayer rising and fading, the clipped rhythm of footsteps on stone. I walked slowly, enjoying the smells around me: cumin, figs, leather, and soap. Everything here feels cramped. Centuries of history are packed into narrow streets, and every turn reveals another piece of history.

Sea Castle: Stone and Tide

I spent most of the afternoon by the Sea Castle. The air carried salt and dust, and the stones had been worn down to a soft texture. I sat with my sketchbook on my lap, but my hand was resting on it more than moving. Instead of drawing, I watched the water press against the walls. It kept retreating and pressing again. It was a mix of persistence and surrender. The line where stone meets sea is never steady. It is always blurred. It is as if the city itself leans toward erosion but does not yield.

Children as Gulls

Children played nearby, their voices echoing across the waves. Sometimes, they sounded like gulls. Other times, they sounded like echoes carried through the walls. I let myself go with the music, not trying to capture it completely, but just to enjoy it. The sunlight became less strong in the late afternoon, and the haze made the sky look a dull golden color. The shadows on the stone grew longer, making it look fractured and almost liquid.

Choosing Stillness Over Sketching

I left without a sketch, but the day gave me something quieter. Remember that paying attention doesn't always mean making something, but sometimes it just means being quiet enough to receive. The Sea Castle is more of an feeling than a picture for me — water hitting stone, over and over, slowly, not quite finished.

Travel Notes

• Weather: Hazy skies, 30°C; humid with a light sea breeze carrying salt and a trace of dust over the harbor stones.
• Scents: Cumin, ripe figs, worn leather, and the clean, creamy note of traditional Sidon soap drifting from the shops.
• Sounds: Market voices layered in counterpoint, the call to prayer, footsteps on stone, waves pressing and retreating, children’s cries turning gull-like in the echo.
• Reflection: The city’s edge is a blurred collaboration between stone and sea; today asked for listening more than making.

Continue the Journey

You may also enjoy reading about yesterday’s quiet reflections along the coast, or linger with another moment from Lebanon where water and walls keep their slow conversation.