Climbing into the mountains north of Beirut
Lots of villages along the way, even as we climb up to tree line.
A cliffside monastery we spotted over the side of the road.
October 13, 2018
By 9am, we started our drive up into the mountains north of Beirut, to visit the Cedars of Lebanon. I had heard so much about them from my parents, who visited Lebanon in the late 60’s, that I wanted to see them for myself. As we drove along the coast, Dave told us Lebanon has 225 km of shoreline on the Mediterranean and that the highest point in the country is in northern Mt Lebanon at 3086 m. The mountains receive ample snow to keep several ski resorts busy during the winter.
Along the way, Dave talked more about the political history of the country. Mark and I were eager to learn what happened from the perspective of an educated Lebanese. Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982 to push out the Palestinian refugees who had relocated there. They were supporting the Lebanese Christians who wanted to move the Palestinians far from Lebanon and the Israeli border. The Palestinians, not being allowed to have part of Israel, wanted to take over Lebanon with the help of the Arab world and make it their home. If that is the case, it is no wonder that the Lebanese Christians wanted to oust the Palestinians from Lebanon. Meanwhile, the PLO was a major player in support of the Palestinians. The story becomes more complicated with the introduction of each new element.
Hezbollah, both a political and a militant Shi’ite Muslim group was founded in 1982 to defend the occupied territory in the south, following Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in the First Lebanon War. Israel’s success in expelling militant Palestinian groups from southern Lebanon allowed Hezbollah to gain a stronger foothold in Lebanese politics. Trained by Iranian forces, the group became highly organized both politically and militarily. Once Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah assumed greater power in the south. The group initially stated that its primary goal was to liberate Lebanese soil and, as long as it did that, it had the support of the majority of Lebanese people. When it continued, with encouragement from Iran, to fight for Palestinians, the total defeat of Israel and to assist Assad in Syria, it lost the support of about half the population of Lebanon, including Dave.
A portrait of Khahil Gibran, who died at 48, by a friend of his.
Enough about politics. We were high on a narrow mountain road headed for the home and gallery of Khalil Gibran (1883-1931). It took me awhile to remember that I had heard of Gibran many years ago as the author of the book “The Prophet”. It is a famous book, although I cannot remember what was in it. His home contained a great deal of his paintings as well as his tomb. I found the cave-like, converted monastery rather strange. As Mark said, it was “rambling and piecemeal”. Neither of us was drawn to any of his art, although he did have a good command of the human anatomy. Dave’s comment was that it was “very pale”. It sure was. And eerie as well. We did not stay long, but his Epitaph is memorable:
Looking at a ski station above tree line. The young trees are cedars that have been planted. The larger ones are about 30 years old.
At 6,490 feet above sea level, we finally reached the cedar trees, most of which have been planted during the last 30-40 years. They need to be carefully watered, fertilized and cared for during the first 10 years after being planted. After that they will survive and grow on their own as long as they are planted between 1000 and 2000 meters in elevation, receive ample water, sun, snow and humidity during the year. With good weather conditions, they will grow 7 centimeters per year.
Tourist shops next to the Cedar Forest. A large, well shaped cedar over shadows the vendor kiosks.
There is a small grove of old growth trees that have survived thousands of years of deforestation by everyone starting with Egyptian Pharaohs in 2500 BC. We stopped at the tourist area beside the forest and took a walk through it on a well-marked trail. The sky was delightfully blue, clear, cool and fresh and the huge old trees were very photogenic. We lingered a good while taking them in and thinking about other old forests we have seen like the redwoods in Marin’s Muir Woods and the Bristle Cone Pines in the White Mountains. In one of the shops we bought a sandwich to share, while we chatted with the shopkeeper.
On the path through the cedars, we see trees that have not yet bent over to form a flat top. In this photo are samples of both young and mature trees.
My favorite tree in the grove–large and multi trunked.
This forest is not as dramatic as our west coast Sequoia forests such as Muir Woods, but it was still good to see it.
From this lofty elevation we winded our way down a very steep narrow road to the Kadisha Valley where monks came to live after 636 AD to escape persecution from the Arab conquests. We saw several old hermitages, some of which are still in use.
Driving along the steep, narrow and scary road. At least it was paved.
Dave and Mark contemplate this hermitage chapel in a cave.
Monastery of St Anthony of Kozhia
We visited the Monastery of St Anthony of Kozhia where we saw the first Arab printing press, dated from 1610. It printed in Arabic as well as Syrac. Syrac is a derivative of Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, if I understand it correctly. The last vestiges of the Aramit people, who were among the first tribes to believe in Jesus, were ousted from Iraq in 2011. They moved to Scandinavian countries according to Dave.
Along the road we saw a man selling ripe persimmons and I bought a couple. The man did not want to take my dollar bill because it was too much to pay for the fruit I was buying, but Dave insisted he take it and help someone else less fortunate. He said he would.
A farmer peddling his persimmons. Called “Cacky” in Lebanese.
Back at the hotel at the end of the day, Mark and I cleaned up and walked to a nearby restaurant called Al Sultan Brahim for its fresh fish. Dave had told us to get baby barracuda and red mullet. The head waiter suggested we also get octopus and squid for appetizers. We got it all and enjoyed every bite. I selected 3 small barracuda and Mark chose 6 red mullet. My favorite dish was the squid. It was gently sauted in a buttery wine sauce and was perfectly hot and tender. After dinner we wandered through a pedestrian area and enjoyed watching the young people.
October 14, 2018
The morning of October 14, we drove 19 miles North again to experience the Jeita Grotto, which consists of two separate galleries. First, we took a cable car uphill a couple hundred feet to the entrance of the upper grotto. There, our cameras were taken, and we began a long walk through the grotto. The several rooms were all large and one was huge in vertical height and breadth. Stalactites and Stalagmites were everywhere and well lit. There were forms of curtains, columns, draperies, mushrooms and other imaginable shapes. We saw one of the world’s largest stalactites, 8.2 meters long. The whole grotto was impressive. If only I could have used my camera.
After exiting the upper grotto, we walked down a road to the lower grotto, where we got into an electrically powered boat for a 400m. floating tour. Although nice, it was anticlimactic compared with the upper grotto. Soon we were back in the SUV and on our way to Byblos.
The port at Byblos was once a major player in the Mediterranean.
A couple of the many stores in Bybs
Byblos is a Greek word meaning “book”. The town, slightly north of Beirut, became a commercial hub in 1200 BC and is a rich archeological site as well as a major tourist town on the Mediterranean. It is full of old souks, bars and restaurants. During the middle ages it was a Crusader fortress and has long been a fisherman’s port.
Lebanese is not a language. It is a dialect. These signs are readable to someone who speaks Lebanese. Dave read them to us and they made sense…..at the time.
The Phoenician alphabet of 22 characters and eventually evolved into the Greek, Latin and Arabic languages.
The Phoenician alphabet was exported from here in 800 BC. I do not know who or how it was created. It was composed of 22 characters that evolved into the Greek language and later into Latin and Arabic. As we wandered around the town, we encountered several bridal parties all having their photos taken near the St John Markus Church.
A bride prepping for her photo shoot.
The 4th generation owner in his fossil shop, started in 1954 by his ancestor, Mikhael Abi Saad.
Stepping into a fossil shop, we encountered the owner and learned about the discovery of fossils in the area. According to his story, there were torrential rains 100M years ago that caused an increase in plankton, which captured the oxygen, released toxins and asphyxiated all living organisms. The dead fish accumulated on the sea bed. When the Lebanese mountains rose up 40M years ago following the displacement of tectonic plates, fossils became exposed around Byblos. Today, more than 800 species of fish, crustacean, plants and turtles can be found in the nearby hills. He had some very interesting fossils including an octopus and sting rays.
At an outdoor bar, we had a long discussion with the bar owner about scotches, while I drank a beer. Mark tasted a few scotches. It was a most pleasant couple of hours.
The bar man who specialized is scotches
After leaving Byblos, Dave took us to see Harissa, a large statue of Our lady of Lebanon, which stands 550 m. above sea level. To get there we rode a cable car up the mountainside to the base of the statue. The statue is made of bronze and painted white.
The cable car ride to the top of the local hill
Byblos on the Mediterranean as seen from the cable car.
Unfortunately, she was undergoing some work and was encased in scaffolding. In the Koran, Mary is considered the mother of the prophet Issa, another name for Jesus. In Lebanon, Muslims and Christians celebrate all holiday for both religions.
Our Lady of Lebanon being repainted.
Very close to the statue was St Paul’s Greek Melkite Catholic Church. It was a pretty church that was also where Dave celebrated his wedding. He is happily married and has two daughters, both of whom received full ride scholarships to universities in the US. They both live and work in the US and probably will stay there. Dave hopes to visit them someday.
St Paul’s Greek Melkite Catholic Church just a couple blocks away from Our Lady of Lebanon.
That ended the touring part of the day. We headed south and east into the hills to get to our country hotel for the next 2 nights. It was a restored palace called Mir Amin Palace. The place was a bit on the tired side and not what we had gotten used to on this trip. Nevertheless, we slept well and spent little time in the hotel. We had dinner and breakfast the next morning on the hotel terrace. The air was a bit crisp at 2000 feet elevation, but quite acceptable. The staff spoke very little English and we had a hard time ordering. Regardless of what we asked for we received the Lebanese version of breakfast—cheese, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, yogurt with olive oil, hot beans, coffee, orange juice and toast. Oh well. We made do.
Mir Amin Palace Terrace
A typical Lebanese breakfast.
Adventures with Julia 