Lebanon Day 8
Morning
- Normal breakfast this morning while Matt struggled with the internet infrastructure to get a reference letter out for a previous co-worker.
- We are heading to Baalbek this morning but had to delay our departure and change our route due to the main road between Beirut and Damascus being closed for national army day.
- On the way to Baalbek we stopped in Deir Al Qamar, which means Monastery of the Moon. It is a small little village with cobblestone streets and a quaint town square. We stumbled upon an Air BNB and the caretakers allowed us to explore it a little.
Lebneh Sandwiches
After departing Diet Al Qamar, we stopped in a little cheese and sandwich shop for lebneh sandwiches followed by ashta and honey wraps.
Bekaa Valley
We came off of the mountain into the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon’s most important farming region.
Our first stop was Château Ksara, Lebanon’s largest winery. It was founded in 1857 by Jesuit Priests. The priests started the winery to have wine for their ceremonies and for general consumption. They only increased production after accidentally discovering a cave on the grounds that was perfect for storing wine. The story goes that a fox was stealing their chickens and they followed it to find the fox had been hiding the chickens in a cave. The cave is 24 feet underground and almost 2 miles long. We were given the special behind the scenes tour, seeing the caves and production, followed by a free wine tasting. Only at the end did we learn that we were supposed to pay for the tasting and the tour that we went on was not the tour most people get to do. It seems Ismat has worked her fixer magic and we were “invited” guests.
Lunch
After a few sips of wine, we had lunch right along the river. There are many traditional restaurants grouped in the same little area. Each restaurant has a butcher, and bread maker, and prides themselves on giving the best service.
Baalbek Ruins
Next we made our way to the ruins of Baalbek. Toufic gave us a quick tour of the impressive Roman ruins. Unfortunately, we were being rushed out so they could prepare for the festival concert.
Pregnant Rock
While waiting for the concert to begin we visited the Pregnant Rock. It is a large foundation stone that never made it to the temple. The rock is over 63 ft long, 12 ft high, and weighs 992 tons. No one is quite sure sure how the stones were mined or moved.
Break time
We still had a little time to kill so we strolled across the street to an old historic hotel to relax on the balcony with a coffee.
Baalbek International Festival
Now it was time for the festival to begin. The Baalbek International Festival began in 1954 and attracts a wide variety of international acts. The main stage for the festival is set right in the middle of the Roman ruins. This night’s main attraction was a concert by the French artist Jain. The concert began with a local opening act that takes older Lebanese songs and presents them in a modern way. Jain had a very simple stage set, just a small screen, a digital loop machine, and Jain herself. Matt and Laurie enjoyed the concert immensely. Our Lebanese friends were, how should we say, less than impressed.
The plan was to take a bus back to Beirut, but Ismat and Toufic were able to join us for the festival. In addition to the wealth of information that Toufic provides, he is also an expert driver. The trip home was up and then back down a small mountain road with no lights and lots of large trucks trying to navigate the tight turns.
