Thursday, December 17, 2009
Imagine Tartous
I woke up very early as is my habit and enjoyed my solitary morning hour. The onslaught of last night's storm rebounded in my mind and trudged along the bloated streets and through the flailing branches. As the winds howled and the rain pounded against the windows the frowning sky inflicted her wrath down upon the coast. Outside the breakwater, the sailors of a moored ship toiled feverishly in the blinding gale to let her loose and untie her ropes from the constricting buoys . When they finally set her free her master put her on a defiant course in the face of waves and fed her all the power the monstrous engines could muster. She rode the six-meter high swells leaving the treachery of solid land behind and headed deep into the sea where it is safest for her and her men.
I sipped my espresso and listened to stubborn gusts inviting me for a ride along the seashore. They had something to show me, they promised.
Five minutes around Tartous to the sound of 3 random songs and that of the sea. Just come ride with me.
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38 comments:
Thank you so very much Abu Fares,it's
magnificent!
How nice you are.
I love you Tartous;
وقفلي خليني بوس شبابيك الحلوة بطرطوس يا بيتا المضوي ع البحر بقلبي وعيني محروس
Thank you gentleman,
A
Aww! How lovely to be reminded of the beautiful Tartous (in which I spent less than 24 hours this past March on what was sadly, mostly, a freezing cold, blustery, rainy day).
Beautiful Abufares. There's nothing like home. Was your "Rock" anywhere to be seen in those five minutes around Tartous?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW6Q2wzCElU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce7N9p3RNkU&feature=related
A
It always mazes me. You always amaze me: how masterfully you handle words. That many emotions expressed in just one line. How much you are fond of your hometown.
Beautiful!
I was surprised to see you refering to the sky as "her". I never thought about it like that. Maybe because in Spanish, sky is a masculine noun (el cielo).
Reading you is always a pleasure, Abufares.
Thanks for sharing this video with us, this was personal you acutely drove by my home I live in the same street sub where you parked your car, i am a thousands miles a way from home , but I still can smell of the streets. are you my neighbor?
Thanks for the wonderful tour. Tartous is a beautiful city indeed. You should do this more often!
Thanks for the tour man!
What nice way to discover Tartous. Your Tartous.
@A
Thank you for the link on Maaloula, which I recommend all to check out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW6Q2wzCElU&feature=related
and that of the Syrian Coast as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce7N9p3RNkU&feature=related
I'm glad you liked my 5-minute ride.
@Jillian
So you were here in March and I didn't know about it!!!
Well hopefully next time :-)
@Joseph
My rock was a little further south from where I stopped my car. I promise to show it soon on another occasion. Although it's hard to tell from the video I went back home soaked with seawater as it was very windy and the mist carried far inland.
@Gabriela
You were always a great reader and have the ability to decipher the true meaning of words.
In Arabic, Sky is female. Although gender classification of inanimate objects is arbitrary at times, I personally agree that the Sky has all the characteristics of a female. Like the good earth she can't be but a gorgeous woman.
@Anonymous
I'm glad you enjoyed this short ride around "our" neighborhood. Yes, it seems that we are neighbors indeed.
@Omar
I always thought I need to make short videos of Tartous and post them. Now that I think you appreciate such posts I won't hesitate any longer.
@KJ
You're welcome dude... perhaps next time we get a chance to ride together.
@Katia
I'm glad you liked "my" Tartous. It's really that simple.
Abufares,
I often hear so much of your beloved Tartous (you know from who) with all its raw beauty that only a seaside town can offer. It was a pleasure to go along for the ride. Maybe someday I will have the opportunity of seeing for myself all the wonders that wait. Who knows, we just might be able to enjoy an espresso together on me of course.
OBTW, referring to the sky as “her” is absolutely correct, she has the prerogative to change on a moment’s notice and you just have to accept it <;-) BIL
Gorgeous video, Abufares. I enjoyed it immensely. For a long time I've been wanting to visit Syria - top of my travel list - and I know now I would never miss a jaunt over to Tartous while there! I can see why you show such pride in your hometown. Thank you so much for sharing this.
@BIL
I look forward having that espresso with you on the balcony.
Tartous' raw beauty is being unfortunately erased by a mediocre public taste and a shortsighted policy of development.
It is getting less beautiful every year.
The sky cannot be but feminine for the exact reason you mentioned.
@Isobel
When you come to Syria you can have your "jaunt" to Damascus and the rest of the country. But it is here, in Tartous, where you will mostly be. I have an affectionate relationship with my hometown. If I had to leave her I wouldn't go anywhere else in Syria but would probably move halfway across the world. I'm tied to Tartous by virtue of birth. Wherever else I happen to be I would miss her, always. But that will not keep my heart and mind from flying to a place I only visited in my dreams.
Oh how I miss my beloved Tartous, my family, my friends! The salt water smell filling the air on a windy, wet winter day, the gorgeous sunsets, the sea, in all her Glory, sounds of the waves breaking on the shore, children running on the sand, their footprints soon to be washed away by the rising tide....
Could you possibly show the parental house the next time you take a drive around the city?
Sponge Bob may come in handy on a day like you've described (leave it to the concerned's imagination)!
Missing you and all my loved ones!
Thanks a lot to everybody love Tartous!
Tartous
@oryxm
Glad to hear from you and what a poetically nostalgic sigh your words carried.
OK my next dabble with cinematography, of course with the indispensable help of my cameraman SpongeBob, should include a scene from Al-Mina St.
@anonymous
Thank you for your comment.
Abu Fares,
I loved that I recognized much of what you shot on your video. I reminded me of our much too brief visit to Tartous last year. I also enjoyed your musical selection; perhaps it reflects my "mature" age.
You know Abu Fares, home is where the heart is, and I'm glad you are where your heart is. I love the fact that you are fond and proud of your hometown. People back home are amazed at how much I miss Damascus, but they won't know the feeling till they really leave it for a long long time. As always, it was a pleasure reading your well crafted words.
What a magnificent idea to take a ride in your home town and shoot a video at the same time!! THANK YOUUU!!
Finally I get an idea of how Tartous looks like ... and I LOVE what I saw!!!
You have a rare ability to pack your sentences full of emotions and with that grab the soul of a reader with both hands!
Thanks so much dear friend, for a trip around Tartous ... I loved it and enjoyed every second of it!!! :-)
What a treat my friend.
@Abu Kareem
It was very brief your visit, that's true. I hope we get another chance to get together soon.
The MP3 CD contains over a 100 of my favorites. These 3 really played randomly.
@Ana Sourie
You're right! Although sometimes my heart seems to wander, Tartous is the only home I've had so far.
I can fully understand your longing for Damascus as I've known it before.
My pleasure that you dropped by my friend, always.
@Karin
Since you seem to like this short ride, I promise to try and make another video soon showing more of my hometown.
I look forward having you with me on a similar, but longer, ride one day.
Thank you for you great support dear friend.
@Fantasia
Ohhh, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I always love it when you come here... and I have to thank you for "12" more reasons ;-)
Great post, Abu Fares! Evoked memories of many lovely trips to Syria, and one particularly fantastic visit to Tartous.
@Isobel: If you ever get the chance, just do it. I've been fortunate enough to have visited over 30 countries, and Syria is by far my favourite.
Thanks abufares for the lovely & beautiful tour of my beloved Tartous. I really miss it and miss you guys. It's always a pleasure reading your posts. My love to all the family.
mannona.
@Sean
Thank you my friend for dropping by. I'm glad you have fond memories of your brief visit to Tartous and I hope Isobel listens to you.
All the best.
@Mannona
So nice of you to come here. This makes me very happy :-0
We miss you too, all of us. I hope you come back and very soon...
All the best
mmmmwwwwaaahhh
ya Salam,
I've watched this view three times since you've put it up. I, like Abu Kareem, recognize most of the scenery through the brief but most enjoyable tour through Tartous.
Thanks for sharing, man :)
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