Blogs from Lebanon, Middle East - page 16

Vi har forflyttet oss vestover, folkens, baade i direkte og overfoert betydning, og sitter naa paa en internettkafe ved siden av et stort sykehus i Libanons herrrlige hovedstad, Beirut. Vi dro til Libanon paa onsdag, en tur som skulle vise seg aa bli dyrere, mer langvarig men mer begivenhetsrik enn foerst ventet. Maalet for dagen var byen Tyre (eller Sour), som ligger 80 km soer for Beirut. Vi kom oss fram til busstasjonen i Damaskus, der det sto baade store busser, smaa busser og drosjebiler. Alle hadde lyst til aa kjoere oss til Libanon. Noen hadde riktignok lyst aa kjoere oss til Jordan, men det gikk vi ikke med paa. Etter aa ha diskutert alt fra hurtighet til benplass, air condition og tid paa grensen, fant vi ut at aa ta en drosje til Beirut var ... read more

On the eighth day of our trip we visited the infamous cedars of Lebanon. These are the same cedars that King Solomon built his temple with in the Bible. It was quite a ride to get to the cedars, but they were definitely worth it. We walked a trail through the trees to see the beautiful landscape and forest. We then visited the shops that lined the roads in that area to buy gifts and souvenirs. After returning home, we met some of Hani's friends at a restaurant in town. Again, there was more food than you could possibly eat (at this point I had figured that out and stopped trying). It was a neat restaurant with a tented roof and long tables with benches. It was perfect for a big group to get together for ... read more

For our fourth day in Lebanon we decided to relax at the beach in Jbail. Amazingly, the beach is only 30 minutes from the mountains. We found a great spot to relax on the sandy beach and take a swim in the warm water of the Mediterranean. Because the climate of Lebanon is hot and humid during the summer, the beach was a welcome respite. The weather was definitely dependable in Lebanon; you can count on the hot, muggy days. It doesn't rain in the summer, so we never had to worry about bad weather ruining our plans. After drinking in our share of sun, we were invited to dinner by Hani's neighbors in Roumieh, Carla and her family. The dinner had wonderful food- delicious kabobs, fresh tabouleh, fries, nuts, watermelon, and much more. They also ... read more

After a good night's sleep, we drove up to Roumieh, the mountain town where Hani and Hani's brother have a home. On the highway, I had my first realy glimpse of Lebanese driving. Driving in a lane is optional, lines don't exist, reverse is always an option, and exit ramps may or may not exist. We then turned onto a tiny, curvy road that reminded me of the back roads in many places in West Virginia. Soon we entered the village of Roumieh. The temperature was noticably cooler even though we were only 15 minutes from downtown. Instantly I fell in love with the big Lebanese homes. The homes are passed down through the family, and have distinctive details you can't find in any McMansion. The rooms are spacious with high ceilings, so they have a ... read more

Baalbek, en árabe Ba'lbakk (بعلبك), es actualmente una localidad del Líbano de 25.000 habitantes a unos 200 km al este de Beirut. En la antigüedad fue un santuario fenicio dedicado al dios Baal; fue ciudad griega, y a partir de la época de los seléucidas se le llamó Heliópolis, siendo colonia romana desde Augusto. Es uno de los yacimientos arqueológicos más importantes del cercano oriente, declarado Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la UNESCO en 1984. Es notable una zona de templos de entre los siglos I-III d.C. en honor de la Tríada heliopolitana: Júpiter, Mercurio y Venus. Las primeras excavaciones se iniciaron hacia 1900. En 1898 la visitó el Kaiser Guillermo de Prusia. Baalbek (Arapça: بعلبك) Lübnan'ın Bekaa Vadisi'nde kalan bir şehridir. Selahattin Eyyubi bu şehirde doğmuştur. Ayrıca bu şehir, 1984 yılında UNESCO tarafından koruma altına ... read more