The Beautiful Cedars of Lebanon

Last Sunday we went up to see some of the trees from the Bible, the Cedars of Lebanon. These majestic giants are a protected species here with many trying to save the few that are left.  When we first got there it was in the morning and the day was clear but while we were there the fog rolled in.

In the winter there is snow here.

Thanks to Sharon, we got a great family picture.

A younger tree.

Apparently a man lived in this tree for years.

We got to the top of the hill and this dead tree was there.  There were great places to sit and enjoy. BUT! As we got closer we realized why there were  places to sit. The tree is FULL of carvings. I think every time you see it you will see something new! Such a beautiful work of art!

For some reason, this one was my favorite.

Sharon and the girls.

Fresh water spigot up on the hill. I'm assuming you need a drink in the summer here.

This is the tree in the "family picture above. Yes, the fog came in!

 When we got to the car we realized that getting off the hill was going to be a serious adventure. We could not see 10 feet in front of the car. All of the cars we went by had their hazards blinking.  THEN the torrential rain came along with a serious side wind.  The flooding started and mudslides were everywhere. Rocks were coming down onto the road as well. I have never driven through such high flood waters. It was apparent that there was going to be some serious clean up happening in the small villages after the storm went through.

When we got down to Kousbah we had to stop and have ice cream and there we saw this man heading  down the street with a bunch of cotton candy.  Nothing stops the Lebanese!

Overall it was a great day. A lot of beauty matched with some heart quickening peril. 

Qadisha, the Sacred Valley

Last Saturday we went and stayed at the Monastery of Saint Anthony of Qozhaya in the Qadisha Valley with our close friend Sharon.  What an adventure! Another one of those moments when you think......when would I EVER do that in my lifetime.  The Qadisha Valley is very narrow with high steep mountains/hills around it.  There is a well known hiking trail along the bottom and many churches and monasteries within the valley. Many of them were built into caves. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The view from where we stayed.

This old printing press was in the small museum at the monastery. All of the work was in Arabic. Very interesting to see.

Janna in the museum

Interesting how small walkways are in this area of the monastery.

We went walking below the monastery.

Along the valley floor.

We stayed in the building to the far left.

We saw this as we were walking.

Janna and Tim on an old bridge.

We then went back up and looked inside of this cave. In the past, people would bring their "possessed" or mentally ill loved ones here to be cured with prayer. They would chain them up and if the manacles unlocked after a night of prayer they were healed.

I was having fun with panoramic views on this one.

The entrance to the church. Yes, there were services on Sunday morning. This is built into a cave.

We then went to the Monastery of Our Lady of Hawqa. This was was built into a large cave.

This was inside of the building.

The view of the valley.

Inside

Inside the church.

Tim went wandering with Janna on this path.

They found a nice waterfall.

We then went and had some mezze. What a great meal.

Overall, what a wonderful day!! It was so nice to get away from the city and the noise. 

A Few Days Off for Eid al Adha

 At the end of September Lebanon celebrated Eid al Adha, the Islamic holiday commemorating the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to follow Allah's (God's) command to sacrifice his son, Ishmael. We chose to take the time to rent a car and travel around Lebanon.  Here are some pictures of the places we went.

First we traveled north for the day.  We stopped at Mussaylha Fort to look around.  This was constructed during the Ottoman times as a military station.

Here is another angle.

We stopped to take a picture before we went up the stairs. Like many places in the world we were reminded that in the States there would probably be big guard rails blocking the stunning views to make it "more safe".

Andrea and Janna inside of the fort.

Going down the stairs.

We then went to the Tannourine Cedars Reserve.  The Cedars of Lebanon, otherwise know as the Cedars of God are a protected species under the UNESCO World Heritage Sites

In Tannourine, the Cedars are young but they say a few of them are 1000 to 2000 years old.

A beautiful view.

We then went to the town of Bcharre, Where the famous artist and writer Khalil Gibran lived.  Tim and I have both enjoyed his book "The Prophet". I recommend you read this short book if you haven't done so yet.

We went to the Khalil Gibran Museum.  While pictures were not allowed inside I did take this picture outside of the place.

After we walked through the museum I took this picture of Andrea relaxing. It was a warm day up in the mountains.

Tim went looking round and told me to come and take a look at something.  Up the hill there was a small cave and this was inside it.

The next day we went to the Bekaa Valley and toured Baalbek. Such incredible Roman Ruins! Words cannot describe how megalithic they are.

Our dear friend Sharon

We then went to a town on the mountainside called Zahle.  It took a while to get there since we went along small roads.  The food was great! 

The next day went up to the Chouf District of Lebanon which is east and south of Beirut. 

We stopped at the town of Deir al Qamar.  

A shop within the walls.

A beautiful old door.

The entrance to a pretty cool library. 

Of course it was a French library.  So beautiful inside!

I didn't know what this was until a friend explained it to me.  Yes,  this is a loofa plant! I guess when they get big they peal the outside off and then dry them out.

Beautiful church bells.

Take a look at the stairs. Interesting how they make them so they drain well. Yes, the rain can be torrential here.

A beautiful entrance to someone's home.

We then drove up into the mountains. I had to stop and take a picture of this monument.

We stopped and had lunch at a great little place.  The kibbe was great.

We went over the mountains and stopped here for this scenic view of the Bekaa Valley.  Reminds us so much of Eastern Washington.  The mountains in the distance mark the border of Syria.

It was very windy.

This is the southern part of the Bekaa. The lake at the end of the valley ends at the Golan Heights.

Our adventure ended at the Chateau Kefraya Winery.  We walked around and enjoyed the view.  It was hard to believe were at the top of the mountain ridge a little bit before this.

Yes, Lebanon is a beautiful country!