The Corniche-Last Look at Lebanon

In my rush to get my latest trip posted I completely forgot about the corniche! My last afternoon in Beirut one of my colleagues suggested that I walk along the corniche, the sea side promenade in downtown Beirut. It was a lovely, if slightly overcast, afternoon so I much enjoyed walking along the promenade.

Lined with palm trees and skyscrapers on one side and the Mediterranean on the other, it was very pleasant to walk along, smell the sea, and people watch. The sea was very rough that day and the waves so intense that in some cases waves slammed into the sea wall, exploded over the rail, and soaked everything in its path.

 

 Results of a strong wave.

I kept trying to get a picture of a wave breaking over the wall but of course my timing was always off. Alas. My end goal was the Pigeon's Rock in Raouche. I did make it, as the pictures below can attest, and enjoyed the sunset behind the rock while smoking my only shisha of the entire trip.

So not the greatest post ever...but completes the picture I have of Lebanon and cements my desire to return!

Byblos and Beyond

My first day in my Beirut office was Orthodox Easter Monday so at about mid day the people I was there to work with declared it a holiday and took me sight seeing! Our first stop was Byblos which is a charming (if touristy) port town on the Mediterranean.

 Hurrah for shopping!

 Old Marionite church

 Lovely old Lebanese style buildings

The port is also really charming. It used to be a pretty active fishing village but the Mediterranean is rather fished out these days. A lot of the boats now take on passengers for tours and such. There is a nearby beach and a resort as well for sun bathing and swimming. I had a great time wandering around with my colleagues; and have to admit that I fell into the tourist trap myself! I bought a fantastic turquoise caftan embroidered with gold thread and beads. I will wear it around the house every day now.

After we left Byblos they drove me up the mountain to Harissa which is a pilgrimage sight for Maronites. Unfortunately it was under reconstruction so I couldn't take any pictures of the actual church, but I did get a shot of the view from above and a picture of Our Lady.

After Our Lady of Lebanon we went to another, nearby church, St. Paul's Melkite Greek Catholic church. Melkite Greek Catholics?! I am a cradle Catholic and I think Lebanon has more Catholic sects (all in harmony with Rome, thank you) than I've ever heard of. In any case, St. Paul's was gorgeous-I just wish my pictures had turned out a little better.

 His Holiness, Pope John Paul II visited Beirut and St. Paul's in 1997. It was the first visit by a Roman pontiff to a Middle Eastern church since 1964. In honor of that visit, the artists of St. Paul included a portrait of His Holiness in the church.

I also got a chance one evening to visit 'downtown' Beirut.

I think one of the most amazing things to me about Lebanon was that the city does not have the infrastructure to manage 24/7 electricity (in the center of Beirut it goes out on average 3 hours a day-elsewhere it's worse) but despite that in the souks downtown in Beirut you can find every designer shop you can think of...and some you've never even heard of.

My brief taste of Lebanon was more than enough to entice me back. I had a fantastic time and would love to see more of this beautiful little country. And maybe eat some more really awesome food along the way!

Ancient City of the Sun

The second stop on our tour was at Baalbeck, also known as Heliopolis. To quite Wikipedia: It is Lebanon's greatest Roman treasure, and it can be counted among the wonders of the ancient world (woot that's two for me now!), containing some of the largest and best preserved Roman ruins.

This is what the city would have looked like.

Here is what remains of the Temple of what was originally thought to be Venus. My tour guide said they now believe it was actually for a goddess of fertility (I forget the name she gave though-she moved us through very quickly).

 Entrance to the city. No idea about the film crew there.

 These niches were believed to hold statues of Greek gods or muses.

After the death of Alexander the Great Heliopolis, or City of the Sun, changed hands a great deal. At one time the main courtyard was covered with a wooden roof and these chambers were added when it served as a Christian church. There was also a mosque built in the city during another period.

 All the remains of the Temple of Jupiter, which was the largest of the city's temples, are these six pillars.

 Of which I took many pictures.

From many angles.

What is most intact is the Temple of Bacchus. While it looked pretty darn large to me, it was a lesser temple in the city in it's day.

 As viewed from the Temple of Jupiter.

 Entrance

 Once again I *heart* Photoshop effects.

 I'm not sure exactly where this fit but I believe it was once part of the outer wall.

 The carving on some of the fallen stones is still very clear and must have been amazing in it's glory.

Baalbeck is not very far from Beirut. I'm very glad some friends suggested I go see this as I would have been very sad to have missed it. If you're ever in Lebanon definitely make room for a visit here in your schedule!