Lebanon

Lebanon is a country that should be impossible. Smaller than Connecticut, wedged between Syria and Israel on the Mediterranean coast, it has been invaded, occupied, and shaken by civil war - and yet it remains one of the most culturally vibrant, culinarily extraordinary, and stubbornly alive places on Earth. The Phoenicians sailed from these shores and gave the world the alphabet. Today, Beirut's restaurant scene rivals Paris, you can ski in the morning and swim in the Mediterranean in the afternoon, and the nightlife goes until sunrise. Lebanon refuses to be defined by its struggles.

The food alone is worth the trip. Lebanese cuisine - mezze spreads of hummus, tabbouleh, fattoush, and dozens more small dishes, followed by grilled meats and finished with baklava - is arguably the most influential cuisine in the Middle East and one of the most popular in the world. The Cedars of God, ancient groves that supplied wood for Solomon's Temple, still stand in the mountains. Baalbek's Roman temples are among the largest ever built. And the Lebanese people, scattered across a global diaspora far larger than the country's population, carry a reputation for warmth, style, and an unbreakable love of life.