A Postcard from Liza Soughayar
- 30/11/2023
- Postcard
At Touriste we love receiving postcards, so we asked our favorite globetrotters to write to us…
We are happy to share this monthly pleasure with you !
From Beyrouth
A little about myself …
I’m Liza, Lebanese, and Parisian.
With my husband, we have the Liza Restaurants in Paris and Beirut, and soon in Riyad… Travel had always been a part of my life: sometimes because of the war, but thanks to curious parents, who always loved to move.
I inherited their curiosity and their openness to the world. I hope to pass on this appetite for discovery to my daughter.
I am writing to you from …
Often from Beirut and they look like this: a postcard saying, ‘I love Beirut’.
When you live abroad, you always feel nostalgic for your country, and maybe you idealize it too. What I love the most is inviting my friends from Paris and elsewhere to discover Beirut, to make them love my city and my country as much as I do. Show them my Lebanon, all the places that are dear to me, the sea, the mountains, the sites, and especially our way of life and how we celebrate… it always ends with a great party at Liza Beirut…
My Tourist moment …
Before departure, I do research, get in touch with friends. I like to stay in a hotel where I feel as comfortable as at home. Comfort and aesthetics matter a lot to me. I always choose a place that is in the heart of the action… I have a lot of energy, I am curious, and I want to do and see everything, so I organize myself to fully experience the city. Let’s say I overflow with energy, much to the dismay of my husband… I tire him out on vacation.
My upcoming night at the hotel …
Why take a plane when I could easily travel to Paris itself! Go to the hotel at my friends, the Gloaguens, order room service, lounge in a cozy bed, and spend time in the lobby just watching people pass by… Being a tourist in your own city is very fun and easy to organize.
The travel of my dreams …
I dream of going to Japan. Tokyo and definitely Kyoto. Everything about that country attracts me – the perfect fusion between modernism and traditions, designers, the cuisine, whether savory or sweet, but especially the zen and minimalist aspect that is the opposite of me, and quite the opposite of the city I come from. The movie ‘Lost in Translation’ had only fueled my desire to go there even more.
In my suitcase …
Always 2 swimsuits wherever I go! A pair of heels, even when I go skiing, because there’s always that ‘you never know’ and you have to be ready for anything!! The fabric bags from Fragonard are perfect for storing shoes, delicate blouses, and underwear; they allow me to impress and make me look like an incredibly organized woman. I never leave without roasted pistachios from Rifai and a bottle of orange blossom water. The pistachios for gifts and the orange blossom water because I can’t fall asleep without the famous white coffee (hot water with a few drops of orange blossom water).
My favorite tourist song …
Voyage Voyage from Desireless.
First Travel Memory
New York with my parents, I must have been 8 years old. I had never seen buildings so tall, and to this day, I still feel small compared to the greatness of this city. Like my daughter today, I was fascinated by America and by this people whom I thought were the strongest in the world—an impression conveyed by all those American movies that deeply marked the little girl I was.