Lebanon sunset: The tranquil seaside promenade in Beirut.

What could be more normal than a texting roller blader on the marina in Beirut with the new Citadelle skyscraper in the background.

The military is everywhere, including tanks in downtown Beirut.

Military facilities frequently make it difficult to walk on the coast in Lebanon.

I loved walking through the campus of the American University of Beirut (AUB), which was founded in 1866.

Lebanon: Tasty flatbreads in a bakery south of Beirut.

Living conditions, like these ramshackle homes primarily for refugees in Ouzai south of Beirut, are not uncommon on the coast of Lebanon.

It was a MedTrek first when The Idiot met a group of good-natured but weary soldiers on a 120-kilometer march on a hot day in Northern Lebanon. It got me reflecting on the country’s vast number of past conflicts as I calmly MedTrekked on the Mediterranean.

The seaside border with Syria was eerily calm and relaxed.

The area between Tripoli and the Syrian border in norther Tripoli is not meant for foreign MedTrekkers, The Idiot was told.

“You are a true hermit,” Mother Thekla, who speaks seven languages and has been overseeing the construction of the convent since 2010, told The Idiot when he described his solo MedTrek in Lebanon.

Living conditions, like these ramshackle homes primarily for refugees in Ouzai south of Beirut, are not uncommon on the coast of Lebanon.