Experiencing this scene was hair-raising for me... In the heart of downtown Beirut, which was war torn for 16 bloody years, has opened Cafe Place de L'Etoile. Overlooking the cafe-trettoire is the ghost of a war-torn old building, which is separated from the bustling place with construction barricades... Witnessing this place, which five years ago was doused in mud and rubble was, to me, a mystical experience...