Bekaa Beauty

Yes the holiday just seems to carry on at a superlative ridden rate.

The Bekaa is brilliant, a high arid but fertile plateau between 2 mountain ranges and historically very important. Lots of old and very old buildings to investigate then.

The Hermel pyramid right to the north of the valley, high on a hill in the middle of nowhere. A monument to what……………? It is a fine vision as you travel south and enter the mighty impressive valley.

Then to Balbeck to the ancient ruins at sunset to get the best light for photos. Well worth the wait it was too. There are plenty of guide books and guides willing to help but the architecture speaks for itself. Dating back some 5000 years with various additions over time the scale of the buildings, there physical dominance and psychological effect are impressive. Huge 20M high columns 2m diameter, dwarf anything else in the Roman Empire then and now. Some of the foundation blocks are over 1000 tons each and would take a great deal of engineering to move them now letalone 2000 years ago. Just wandering around in awe for 2 hours was just terrific. As always, the welcome from everyone I met was warm, friendly and mellow. The man who owned an internet cafe insisted that I not pay for an hours worth of access. The falafel chef who gave me some free falafels whilst I waited and gave me detailed instructions on where to park for the ruins whilst I waited for him to construct my lunch……………..This list could go on and on such has been the welcome.

Aanjar is another ancient site 1300 years old. This rare Omayyad city though not as spectacular as Balbeck has just as much character, sat in the nearby woods in the dappled sunlight, listening to the numerous birds, and looking at the lizards basking in the sun, just looking at the arches, columns and super square and accurate buildings with the clear blue sky a very slight breeze and the snow-capped mountain in the background……………very, very relaxing.

I also managed to get in some smaller locations that required a lot of map reading and a lot of luck. A roman temple high on a hill overlooking the Lebanese/Syrian border patrolled by a number of very friendly and chatty guards who seemed pleased I had come to this temple. Their rifles lay on the ground a few feet away, but could have been miles such was the atmosphere of banter and laughing by us all.

By whatever means I managed to park unbeknown to me at the time before asking, some 50 metres from a tiny little Roman necropolis. No road signs no, village signs just a little help from whoever looks after me when I am travelling (the travel god). Despite my allegiances moving to hire car from public transport it has not stopped me from getting to locations, roads, accommodation and finding places just when I needed to.

The accommodation over the last few nights has been in a reconstructed Bekaa valley settlement based on 200 years ago. A very authentic feel to things. It even had chickens, which did rise with the dawn (did I hear someone say thrice?)

What a very good Friday it has been. I trust you are all having a good one as well.