From Istanbul to Beirut…

After spending the last few days of 2013 getting tear-gassed in Taksim, retreating with Sufis in Asia, and joining friends on a culinary adventure through Istanbul, I hopped the pond yesterday from Turkey to Lebanon to ring in New Year’s Eve at home in Beirut–where funky hats last night were all the rage to kick off 2014…

When I stumbled upon the shop below selling all kinds of colorful hats, there was a line out the door. In the distance, sounds of celebratory gunfire rung out throughout Beirut–a city already on edge from last week’s deadly bombing downtown.

“Listen,” the hat seller said, “Victoria has her secret, and these hats are mine.”

Despite the recent violence, local clubs and bars were rowdy and crowded last night–crazy hats included–to celebrate the start of a new year and hopefully leave this year of extreme violence behind…