It all feels like a vacation.

This past Monday we took an excursion to a resort called the Batroun Village Club (http://www.batrounvclub.com/) that is located about an north of Beirut.  The deputy headmaster of the school, David Warren, and his wife, Daisy, are members of the club and got us in at a discount.  It's a little bit up in the mountains and you wouldn't believe what a difference in temperature that makes!

Here's a map showing you where the resort is located. We live in downtown Beirut on that little peninsula that juts out.

The view of the pool from the reception desk.

The club is beautiful. It's a hotel (check out the caves you can stay in), fitness center, summer camp, pool, restaurant and also has horseback riding and tennis courts!  We immediately headed for the pool. 

Why am I wearing a goofy skull cap?  Your guess is as good as mine.  When some of the people in our party got in the water, the lifeguard promptly came over and told them they had to cover their hair when in the water.  So I had to go buy a slightly pointless swim cap (it was made out of nylon and didn't even keep the water from getting to my hair).  As a group we concluded that it wasn't about being modest since women were still wearing skimpy bikini's with the caps on. Plus, you could take them off as soon as you got out of the pool.  I think it's for filtration purposes.  They don't want a ton of hair clogging up things so they make you shed less by wearing these.  

I felt like I was in a synchronized swimming event so I tried my best to put on a show.  Thank goodness Ryan snapped this picture and not the one where I was dancing around holding my foot in the air.

Our friends, Joe Feia and Nicola Bright.   

Ryan didn't want me feeling left out so he grabbed a head thing too and put it on.  Don't we make a cute matching couple?

More of the group we went with: Lucy, Carolyn, Joe, Nicola and me.

Bill and Andrew in deep discussion...

Ryan and Andrew

Bill and Andrew

Bill shamelessly showing off his abs.  Whoa.

I wish I had been smart enough to take pictures of the rest of the day. David and Daisy who hosted this, treated our whole group to a buffet at the restaurant there. Seriously amazing food. All you can eat traditional Lebanese mezze food plus a sushi bar, dessert station and even a hot food buffet with this to-die-for cinnamon-y lamb and rice dish.  They were too good to us! Thank goodness after all that food I knew we were going on a hike the next day to burn it off!