The Holy Valley and the Cedars of Lebanon

…And I came to the place where all the paths of Life meet,
There I fell a wounded prey before the face of despair
...And it was there that I heard unseen great wings
moving about me,
...And as I turned my eyes I saw you
Standing before me as the cedar of God on Lebanon -
…. (from “The Cedars of Lebanon” )


Last Thursday we finally made it to Mount Lebanon to visit the Cedar Trees. These trees are among the oldest living plants on our planet. Some of them are 1500 to 1700 years old. In the past, Phoenician sailors used the wood of the cedar trees to build their ships because Cedar is very sturdy. King Salomon’s Temple was built with Lebanese Cedar and so were the Mosques of Spain and Morocco.

Here we saw them huge and majestic as if their branches (looking like wings) will protect everything beneath them.

Unfortunately, very many of these wonderful and regal trees where cut and not re-cultivated. In nowadays there are only a few small areas to find where you can admire these trees and smell the intensive aromatic fragrance. Bcharre and Ras el Barouk are highly recommended to be visited. I am very happy to see that Lebanon is about to reforest some areas – however it will need hundreds of years to build a forest again.

On our way to Bcharre we drove through the “Quadisha Valley” which means the Holy Valley. In the 7th century this place became the refugee of the Maronites, (Christians who gathered around St. Maroun) when they where pursued by the Byzantine Emperors. The Quadisha Valley, which by nature has many natural caves was their secret shelter.

So our first stop was at the Monastery of Saint Anthony, a very well known and beloved site of pilgrimage. The monastery is also known for the old printing machine, which dates back to the 17th century where it was used in order to print the Holy Scripture in Syriac – which used to be the literary language throughout the Middle East. This printer was the first one to make it to the Middle East.

Remarkable is the big collection of cooking pots which you can find in the cave where services where held in the past. Ladies who are praying for fulfillment of their desire to have children, donate one of their cooking pots. Believe it or not, according to the thank you letters that are posted on the walls and the monk stories, many miracles have happened.

After St. Antoine and visiting the Cedars, the house of Khalil Gibran was our next target. Khalil Gibran is a very famous Lebanese author and painter who was borne in Lebanon 1883, than emigrated to the States. He died in the USA but his wish was to be buried in Bcharre (Lebanon) which is his hometown.

The coffin which was used to bring his body home, can be seen in his house – which is now a museum. His most famous book “The Prophet” was translated in at least 20 languages. If you have not yet read his poems, I can only recommend it to you : http://leb.net/gibran/works/prophet/prophet.html

After an obligatory fantastic late lunch - which was more like an early dinner – we drove back home with peace and happiness in our hearts … so many impressions far away from daily struggling!

Beirut fights its way back to original beauty …

Lately I had a chance to speak to a moderator from a radio station in Germany (SWR3 weltweit / worldwide) and he asked me what is it about Lebanon that you like most (apart from the fantastic weather)?

My answer was very clear: It is the unbreakable will of the people to survive and to rebuild every time when the country gets destroyed by conflict whether it is internal or external. A fine example for this spirit is Beirut.

Think about how much the city had to suffer during the various attacks which it had to go through. All the psychological and physical stress the inhabitants had to endure. I heard many stories which would make you cry… But the Lebanese neither did give up nor did they wallow in self-pity! It is on the contrary. Like the Phoenix it came back with new and even stronger will to survive out of these disasters. In no other country in the world, have I ever seen this unbreakable will to live.

During last year’s visit I could start observing how Beirut blossomed into its new beauty and fascination. Step by step and stone by stone the old city has been rebuilt and last week one of the masterpieces got unveiled. The NEW SOUK is about to open its doors. The New Souk a shopping center which offers unequaled opportunities. Despite it is not yet officially inaugurated, I would like to show you some pictures.

The Lebanese ladies are “Fashionistas” as I have mentioned this earlier. At the NEW SOUK, which is huge (my pictures can never master the reality) you can therefore find all the flagship stores of the big brands. Due to the fact that this project was built from scratch every shop owner was able to realize his or her interior design ideas. It is FLASHY!!
I like especially the fact that old and new elements have been so smartly combined. Therefore it can happen that you mingle through the various alleys and suddenly you find yourself in front of a Roman Archeological excavation.

And if you have enough from all the shopping stress, it is only a few steps to the old part of the city. This area has been rehabilitated during the last years. All this has been accomplished with old stones and given items which got supplemented with new materials that look like the originals. Fantastic!

Here at the Place D’Etoille you find restaurants and bars which allow you to rest, to enjoy a drink or eat something delicious.
Shopping is anyway something nice in Beirut and its agglomeration. Many new shops and boutiques, jewelers and interior design shops have established themselves in Beirut and its agglomeration (like Kaslik, Jounie, etc).
Not to forget about the famous Lebanese Fashion Designers: Eli Saab who is my favorite www.elisaab.com who just had his Show last week in Paris. But also the other two famous ones Robert Abi-Nader (www.robert-abinader.com), Rabih Kayrouz (www.maisonrabihkayrouz.com) and Abed Mahfouz (www.abedmahfouz.com)

Dionysos blessed this country

„Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.“
Ernest Hemingway
Death in the Afternoon

A visit to Chateau Musar

The three most famous wine lables of Lebanon are: Chateau Musar, Kefreya and Ksara. All of them produce an extraordinary good wine. Because the volume of production is relatively small, it is difficult to find them outside the country but you certainly can get them if you look hard enough. I have seen Lebanese wines beeing highly decorated during the official wine tastings. I bought some outside Lebanon, simply because both, my companion and myself are in love with the Lebanese wine and so are most of our friends.

On Saturday I spent the morning at Chateau Musar which is not far away from where I am currently living. The area is called Ghazir and is a alovely little vilage. I have to give many thanks to Fadia, the lady who guided us through the winary.
Chateau Musar was founded in 1930 by Gaston Hochar it is located in an 18th century castle. The bottles are stord in natural cellars, full of spyder cobs and webs. I really do not like spyders but here they are needed in order to keep the cellars free from any kind of insects. Due to the fact that CM is producing absolutely natural wines, no pesticides are allowed.
The wine master is very proud of the fact that Chateau Musar is produced according to oekological methods. Therefore the production is very limited and quality goes before quantity.
Most of the grapes, especially for the red wine, are coming from the Bekaa Valey in the western part of the country. The white grapes are grown on Mount Lebanon. The white wine is made from grapes which you can find only here. It tastes a bit like a Chardonnay and is delicious.

CM produces not only wine, but also an excellent Arak. And you may know allready, that the alcohol for Arak is also destilled from grapes. I was interested in to understand why one can buy Arak for a relatively cheap price in the stores, whilst the Arak at CM was costing some 16 USD per bottle. The reason is, that the Arak here is destilled four times!!!Three times in order to get a very good base (alkohol) and the fourth time, when the anis seeds have been added. So here you can be sure that you will enjoy it without suffering the next day ... means no headache. After destilling, the Arak needs to „rest“ for ca. 4 weeks in amphores which are made of the same material like the anique earthen clay jugs. They will only be covered lightly so that the Arak can breath and develop its typical and smooth taste.

Different to the other big wineries, CM continued with its production also during the 30 year civil war. Our guide told me that during these difficult times they had to take care of the plants and to harvest the grapes under the threat of the bombing ... I was shocked. The vintage is still available. Can you imagine to drink a wine and knowing that people risked their lifes in order to take care of the vines and harvest the grapes? I had tears in my eyes when she told me this and Iwas holding a bottle of 1975 in my hands,(1975 was only the second year in a civil war saga that lasted 25 years – who would have known that it would last this long and even more astonishing who would have known that Lebanon would survive this bloody conflict and come out of it relatively fresh and looking for a bright future).

If you want to know more about Chateau Mousar, and the other two wineries here are the links: www.chateaumusar.com.lb, www.chateaukefraya.com, www.ksara.com.lb

I have trust and great hope in the next generation of Lebanese!

Oh,oh ….. when I woke up this morning I noticed something not funny. I needed to go to the dentist. This is something that I fear at home … but now being abroad?!?

As usual my first “drop in center” was my friend Loulou in order to see whether she has an idea where to go. And indeed she had a solution for me. So 1h later I sat in a taxi to the dental clinic. I must admit that I was very nervous. Loving a country is one thing but going to a dentist abroad and not knowing what will happen …. that´s a totally different story. Well, there was no other choice than either suffering or giving it a try!

The houses outside Beirut still have a bit of a morbid charm and the area “Aunteliese” where I had to go was exactly such a part. The area where we were going from housing esthetics did not necessarily increase my courage but I had an appointment and so I kept going. The first lesson which I had to learn today was; you should never judge something from the outside appearance of a house. Inside I found a modern clinic with all the state ot the art medical equipment which you would find in our dental top-clinics. However the dentist was really charming and absolutely professional so I was in very good hands.

After 30 minutes I was all set, my problem was solved and the treatment was at least as good to what I am used from home. The big difference was the price. It was nothing compared to what we usually pay.

I did some research today regarding health care in Lebanon and I was surprised that some of the clinics here are really state-of-the-art standard. Especially in Beirut you can find the finest doctors for all kind of medical facilities. So I learnt that rich people from Saudi Arabia for example are coming here to get their check-ups done or to stay at the hospitals for medical care. I saw clinics which are appearing more like 5-star-hotel s than a clinic. Regarding plastic surgery Lebanon is one of the leading countries, definitely in the Middle East if not further.
Many of the doctors got their education in the country but went abroad for additional studies before coming back to Lebanon in order to open their clinics.

Of course this made me curious about the Universities of Lebanon, and so I went to the biggest one which is the Notre Dame University (NDU). Most people know the American University which is the most famous and oldest one. However NDU lists today 7 faculties along with 73 undergraduate degrees und 19 graduate ones. The University is holding agreements with other Universities in Canada, Europe the USA and Australia.

The campus looked very nice and so I walked around a bit. When I compare the atmosphere and the way how the students where discussing with each other …. I assume that for many students in Europe these facilities would be heaven. If I could turn the time back to my own studies … I would for sure enroll myself here.

It feels as if the professors are personally connected with their students. The classes are relatively small, compared to what I know and this allows the necessary attention and a personal touch. Also I felt that the mood was very cheerful and relaxed … despite I was sure that everyone was working hard and focused. This impression is founded because I snuck into a lecture regarding “marketing & tourism” for which I have a personal interest and so I wanted to hear what the topic was about.

From sunrise to sun set... another day which I will never forget

A wonderful day in the Chouf …. and a palace from the “1001 night fairytales”

Today we left at 06:00 am for a trip to the Chouf Mountains. The early starting time was not because of the long distance but in order to avoid the rush hour traffic of Beirut. Despite that I am not usually fond of getting up so early – the journey was really worth it. Knowing about the wonderful day in front, I was ready even before the driver arrived.
First we where heading south, passed Beirut and then went up to the Chouf, which is a mountainous area to the southern part of Beirut to north of the town of Nabatiyeh and from the sea to Jabal al Barouk. The early inhabitants of the Chouf Mountains were Druze and Christians.

I really like this area very much. It is ecologically well taken care of. The air is fresh, clear and sparkling. The fragrance was a mix of wood, pine tree and Jasmine and I wished to be a perfumer in order to capture this scent.

Our targets today where: Beit Eddine Palace, Chateau Moussa, the museum of Marie Baz and another stalactite cave “Kfarhim Grotto”. On our way back we passed by at the Pigeon Mountain (near Beirut).

We really made it to Beit Eddine in 1h and 15 minutes, which gave us the time to enjoy our breakfast at one of the small bakeries and also to watch a beautiful sunrise.

Beit Eddine Palace is one of the Jewels of Lebanon. I felt as if I am insight a fairytale of 1001 nights. You will see it in the pictures how wonderfully this palace is, it has been restored and how admirable the Arabian Architecture was/is. The palace was finished in 1840. In nowadays it is used as the summer residence of the Lebanese President. Sometimes it serves as the scenery for traditional concerts. Sections of Beit Eddine can be visited by the public and that’s what you will see in the slide show. Remarkable are the mosaics which are displayed and of which some of them are almost 1700 years old. Mosaics have a great history in Lebanon.

After Beid Eddine we visited the Chateau Moussa and we met the owner who built the Chateau by himself. He told us his story: When Moussa Al-Maamari (the name of the owner/builder his last name translates to builder) was a young man; he was in love with a girl who refused him. She felt that she would like to marry a man who owns a castle. So he built the Chateau with his own hands. Inside you will be able to see rebuilt scenes of the traditional Lebanese life and history. Sadly all this work did not help him to finally get together with his love … however we are thankful for all this great work which he accomplished.

At the museum Marie Baz which we visited afterwards, we found a wax cabinet where all the prominent Lebanese and those personalities who influenced the local history, where displayed. This is a very interesting way of learning about the history and all the cultural influences which made Lebanon the country that it is today. It made me thinking about : “Why is it that since thousands of years everybody wants to lay hands on this place” ….???

Another stalagmite cave was also on our tour plan, which is the Kfarhim Grotto. This Grotto was discovered in 1974 and has a very special charm. Even so it is much smaller than it´s famous cousin the Jeita Grotto, it is worth a visit and deserves our attention.

Our lunch break took place at a small restaurant (really genuine) which our driver knew. As usual the food was again delicious (tomatoes and figs are growing here at an altitude of 1000m). We had homemade Arak (Anis-Liquor) and where just on time to see how it was distilled with a very, very old distiller. The figs which we had for desert where tasting like “out of this world”.

Watching the sun set with the Pigeon Mountain in front is something you shall not miss.