Krak des Chevaliers & Coolest Hotel Ever

---

The hotel that we stayed at Al Wadi Hotel overlooked the Crusader Castle Krak des Chevaliers. The hotel was really interesting in its own right. It had exterior castle like presence, feudal interior and probably more luxurious rooms than any other place the whole trip. The hotel had way too tempting sward decorations on the walls. Without too much delay, we found out that they could be taken out of their sheaths and used to chase fellow students down the hall. Warning: very likely to piss off hotel staff. Fact: risking that it is well worth the fun!

After settling in, we went to the nearby St. Georges Syrian Orthodox Monastery for a visit with the Abbot, vespers and dinner (unfortunately, in that order). We had a great chat, learned about the extent of religious freedom in mostly Muslim Syria, and had some of the best produce this side of the Nile.

Then, back to our castle for the night. After a decent breakfast, we headed off to tour the castle Great Buildings Page, LonelyPlanet

The Castle was the Syrian Headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller during the Crusades, and was the eastern most of five castles that guarded a critical area north of Lebanon, South of Turkey and inland from the coast (see map). Regardless of the history, the structure is remarkably intact and is currently being spruced up by the Syrian Government. We had a great time there, spent several hours taking a tour and enjoying free time to roam, and really got to take in the place with hardly another soul in sight. According to the Lonely Planet Website, “Author Paul Theroux described Krak des Chevaliers as the epitome of the dream castle of childhood fantasies. TE Lawrence simply called it 'the finest castle in the world'. Believe them.” Well, I haven’t been to all the castles in world, so I can’t back up TE. It was cool though. I’ll take his word for it.

---