Lebanon: Lebanon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hxTK1Hy8B8

Why I chose Lebanon. . . .

I chose Lebanon because I lived there in Saida for almost seventeen years. I married a man from Lebanon, and I have three children. I lived with my husband's mother for almost fourteen of those years. I love the Arabic culture. The food, music, belly dancing, and Arabic movies. Especially the very old Egyptian ones. The food there is fantastic and my husbands family were all great cooks. I also learned to cook just by watching my mother-in-law. I love the life there. It is very family oriented. All the family would meet each summer at my mother-in-laws house. So, the house was always packed. We always looked forward to everyone visiting. Life is very laid back there. They move at a much slower pace than the US. Everyone knows everyone else, especially their neighbors. On one side of the house I could see the port of Saida and the Mediterranean Sea. On the other, I could see the mountains. I used to love early mornings the most because around five in the morning all the mosques together would be singing songs of Allah and the sounds would echo off the mountains and made the most beautiful sound. I would love to go out on the balcony and just pray and it definitely took my spirits to another place. I honestly wish during all of those years that I could have visited more of the archaeological places there, but a good bit of the time I was there, Lebanon was attacked by Israel and then once again a war broke out between the Christians and the Muslims.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9OE438-F00&list=RD02quzp1yQvQro

Lebanese Tourist Attractions

Raouche'

Raouche'

Raouche', which means "Pigeon's Rock" is in the Mediterranean Sea right off the coast of Beirut's downtown Corniche. It is famous because a lot of people like to dive off it and some have died doing so. The pic below is showing how close to the Corniche Raouche' is.

Telepherique

Telepherique in Jounieh

One of the most popular activities for tourists in Jounieh,the Telepherique line transports passengers from the bay of Jounieh--Christian city in Beirut--above the maritime highway and the pine-forested steep mountain at an altitude of 650 meters, which takes you to Our Lady of Lebanon shrine in Harissa--which is shown below. The Maronite Patriarch of Antioch named her the "Queen of Lebanon" after its completion in 1908.

Our Lady of Lebanon

Jeita Grotto

Now I would like to show you one of the famous sites in Jeita, Lebanon one of the 7 Wonders of the World called Jeita Grotto, which is where my son-in-law took me after he and my daughter were engaged.

Upper Cave of Jeita

Lower Cave of Jeita

The Jeita Grotto consists of two separate, but interconnected, karstic limestone caves spanning over 5.6 miles. The caves are located in the Nahr Al-Kalb--Dog River-- valley in Jeita. They were inhabited during prehistoric times, but the lower cave was not discovered until 1836 and can only be visited by boat. The underground river provides drinking water to more than a million Lebanese.

In 1958, the upper galleries were discovered above 200 feet above the lower cave, which was accommodated with an access tunnel and walkways so that tourists can have safe access without disturbing the natural landscape. The upper galleries house the world's largest known stalacite and is composed of a series of chambers with the largest peaks at a height of 390 feet.

Baalbek

Baalbek

Baalbek is a town in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon east of the Litani River. Earlier known as Heliopolis, which in Greek mean City of the Sun. It dates back about 9,000 years and some archaeologists believe the ruins may not be Roman, but might actually date back to the time of Cain and Able.

Downtown Beirut

Downtown Square

Newly Renovated Downtown Beirut

Saida

Saida's Sea Castle

Sidon's (Saida) Sea Castle is the most prominent archaeological cities in the city. It was built by Crusaders in the 13th century. Crusaders used Sidon's Sea Castle to protect the city's harbor and ensure that troops from Europe could land safely.