Two hikes and two ancient wonders

Last weekend: A hike along a river near Batroun, with a group from ACS (Tom’s school). As we approached the area the group leader said, “This part of the river there are mines.” Gold?, and salt? run through my mind.—no, dummy—land mines. “But where we are going is safer,” he says. “SafER?,” I ask. “Safe,” he says.

It was a lovely stroll along the river banks, perfect short-sleeve weather, with lots of wildflowers. The group was ready for picnic time; one young lady had carried a nargileh (water pipe) in her backpack, another a thermos of Turkish coffee. And lots of potato chips and chocolate.

We walked over a bridge that had been there "since before there was money." It was, long ago, the only link between the coast/Bekaa Valley and Syria--part of the Silk Road! Here is T at the bridge
Coming back down into Beirut, you could see the air hanging over the city, yellowish and thick. Ick!
_________________________

A billboard: Lusty Laundry
A restaurant: Flobby Diner
KFC (yes, KFC) Sign: “Drive thru kids area”
A store up in the mountains: Mini market Jesus
Things you’d never see in America department: children on adult’s lap in front seat of a school minibus; also, the stairwell at the four storey UNRWA office building, smelling faintly of smoke, from something one of the cleaning staff had cooked on a hot plate in a closet, in the stairwell.

_____________________________________
Saturday we went to Baalbek for the second time, and to Anjaar, ancient Ummayad city. Baalbek knocked us out again; it's Temple of Jupiter is the largest Roman temple in the world. And it's Bacchus Temple the best preserved. Just jaw-dropping, the whole place.

Someone remarked how different it would be if in Italy or Greece—tidy, no chunks of fallen columns or statues lying about the grounds. Certainly nothing ancient you could touch or sit on like you can here.

Anjaar—forgot the camera, sorry!—only one reconstructed wall standing, but a large, walled Umayyad City from 700 AD.

Sunday, hiking in one of the cedar preserves in the mountains. Incredible scenery—the most beautiful in the country, and some of the most breath-taking we’ve seen anywhere. But not a lot of cedars. Emperor Hadrian’s emissary in the area carved words into the rocks in several places, laying down the law about not cutting down certain species of trees. Even back then (1200 years ago!!) they could see that the forest needed protecting.

After the hike, we stopped at a 1,000 year old church (below).