Lebanon - Harissa

Pilgrimage

There is no official single religion in Lebanon, there are myriad unofficial ones: christian, maronite, druze, shia, sunni, eastern orthodox and more.  Some of my tour group were proudly christian - speaking about it as one would the weather.  They were excited to ascend to the village of Harissa, to see the 15 ton bronze statue of the virgin Mary.

Lebanon - Byblos

One of the Oldest Cities...

Our tour guide was modest, he described Byblos as one of the oldest cities in the world, not THE oldest, even though it was founded over 10,000 years ago and has been continuously inhabited since 6,000 BC.  It's staggering to think about those numbers.  It's older than all the history I know.

Lebanon - Jeita

What's the Difference between a Cave and a Grotto?
Jeita is a small town north of Beirut in the mountains.  It's known for its Maronite population, adherents to an ancient version of Christianity from Syria.  On our bus ride there, our guide explained that we were on our way to Mount Lebanon to visit the Jeita Grotto.  "I am not, as your guide, allowed to give my personal opinion" he explained, before proceeding to do just that.  "The Jeita Grotto should be one of the seven wonders of the world, but since they have not asked experts but rather took a vote from 7 billion people, 6.9 of which have never heard of a small country called Lebanon....."  His voice trailed off for a moment before he began again.  "We are dealing with this unfortunate event as best we can."

Beirut - Lebanese Sojourn

It's a Complicated Place
How can you possibly wrap your mind around the history of this place?  I could spend the rest of my life here and never figure it out.  Next to the giant mosque is the Christian church, which itself is built on top of the ruins of a Roman bathhouse and across the street from a gleaming new high end mall.