Lebanon

It is difficult to get long-term visas to volunteer in Israel. I am, therefore, here on tourist visas, which generally last 3 months. In order, to stay for 6 months, I had to go on a trip in order to come back and renew my visa. Around the time that I needed to go, a couple of my friends, Peter and Mike, were going to Lebanon. I, thus, embarked on a week long trip to Lebanon from April 12 to April 20. I'm not going to write much about this trip. Instead, I am going to do a picture album of a few of the photos I took during this trip. Needless to say, Lebanon defies all stereotypes of the Middle East, with its sandy Mediterranean coast, Snow-covered mountains, and European architecture, and the bounty of Dunkin' Donuts and Pizza Huts along the way.


The Obelisk Temple at the ancient ruins of Byblos. The known history of Byblos, a city on the Mediterranean coast, goes back to 6000 BCE!


A European Looking lane in the Old City of Byblos from the Crusader period.


A picture from the harbor of Byblos of the ruins of the Crusader Castle lit up at night.


Needless to say, it wasn't heavy tourist season, so we were the only people at the King George Hotel, which was about 10 minutes from Byblos. The hotel owner, George himself, showed us some Lebanese hospitality by treating us to a king-style breakfast on the patio of the honeymoon suite.


The views were spectacular as we drove along back roads through the Tannourine Valley. The scenery consisted of snow-capped mountains and deep ravines.

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Me in front of the scenery as we wandered through the Tannourine Valley.


Although we saw spectacular views in the Tannourine Valley, we were a little lost. Numerous times we stopped to ask for directions, trying to piece together the little Arabic we knew. We learned that the meaning of dughri, meaning straight in Arabic, in Lebanon meant follow the curvy road that looks most like the main road. At one point, I asked an old man with a gap-toothed smile for directions. He wasn't much help, but he gave me a rotten apple as a gift. Later in the week, a man in the market also gave me a bruised banana. I don't know if it is common, but for me, I learned that old men in Lebanon must give you rotten fruit if they think you are pretty.


The Cedars of Lebanon. Unfortunately, the park was closed because of snow, so this is a picture from the distance.


After the Tannourine Valley and the Cedars, we explored the Qadesha Valley, one of UNESCO's recommended spots to visit in Lebanon. It was truly stunning, with huge bluffs, waterfalls, and lush greenery. Here's a picture of the light hitting a waterfall just right, so that a rainbow formed.


We met a family who invited us for coffee. Afterwards, the son took us to a little known spot to catch a view of this spectacular waterfall in the Qadesha Valley.


The next day we headed to the South of Lebanon. Our first stop was the Crusader Sea Castle in Sidon, or Saida in Arabic. We also went to Tyre, or Sur in Arabic, to see the most well preserved Roman Hippodrome in the world, but somehow I don't have pictures of this.


Whereas the North has mostly a Maronite Christian population, in the South the influence of Hezbollah was seen in numerous signs of Hezbollah propaganda.


More European style architecture was found as we made our way through the Chouf Mountains. Here is a picture of a quaint town called Deir al-Qamar.


Some places we went had very interesting stories. One man's dream was always to live in a castle when he grew up. As a child, one of his teachers mocked him for this dream. This mocking, however, made the man even more determined. When he grew up, he was able to realize this dream by building this cartoon looking castle, which helped him win the love of his life. Part of the castle is made into a museum. In the other part, the man who built it still lives to this day.


We stopped at the Beiteddine Palace, and Ottoman style palace. Ottoman architecture has intrigued me since I took a class on the Ottoman Empire a few years ago at North Park.



The Bekaa Valley, in the East of Lebanon, near the border of Syria, is rich with vineyards and wineries. We stopped for a tour and wine tasting at the Ksara Winery. Ksara is Lebanon's oldest winery. They store all of their wine in an extensive network of caves discovered by the Jesuits, who ran this winery for many years. Ksara also produces Arak, an Anise flavored liqueur typical of the Middle East, and especially of Lebanon.


We couldn't miss a trip to Baalbek. Baalbek is the location of massive Roman ruins containing two temples. The largest one is the temple of Jupiter. Look at the size of these pillars as compared to me!


This is a picture of the Temple of Bacchus. This is the smaller of the two temples in Baalbek, but it is still larger than the Parthenon in Greece.


These lion heads are decorations from the temple of Jupiter. They have fallen down, but they are still extremely well-preserved!


Baalbek is also home to the largest stone in the world. It was made into a tourist sight by one lone man, who created a park and still runs a souvenir shop. He offers "welcome coffee" to everyone who comes.


We stopped in Aanjar to view some Umayyad ruins. The Umayyad caliphate was the first Islamic dynasty in the Middle East. Here is a picture of what is left of the sultan's summer palace.


Back in Beirut, look at the clear, blue water of the Mediterranean Sea.


At a Restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, we enjoyed some traditional Lebanese Mezze (salads).


The multiculturalism of Beirut is evident as people flock to walk along the Corniche, a boardwalk area on the coast. This is also the place of the Hard Rock Cafe, one of the few in the Middle East.


Another view of the Corniche, with the mountains just beyond Beirut in the background.


People hanging out on some rocks along the coast of the Mediterranean.


Bikers show off their skills along the Corniche.


The Clock Tower at the center of the main square in the Center of Beirut. This is the hip place to leisurely eat a meal at one of the sidewalk cafes or enjoy some European style shopping.


Even amidst all of the new and fancy construction of Beirut, evidence of the civil war and the Israeli bombardment of 2006 show. Here is a building which still shows evidence of bombing along the Green Line in Beirut, the line between battling factions during the Civil War.

This ends my photo album of Lebanon. I hope you have a picture of the beauty and diversity of Lebanon.