Now for the second part of the Lebanon trip. Warning: there are a lot of awesome pictures here.
Sofar
The second city we spent a lot of time in was Sofar. Sami’s family also has a house we stayed in there, but in that case, we were the only ones in the building. Also, Sofar is more in the mountains so it wasn’t as busy. Personally, I found it quite peaceful and a nice getaway from the hustle and bustle. I wouldn’t have minded spending more time there next time we go. Plus, the land it was built on is so beautiful. There is a bunch of jetties that each have different plants planted on them. There are grapes, cherries, peas, apples, and more. We each got to plant our own tree on the property too. It really felt nice to be included in a tradition like that.
When we left from there each morning, we also stopped to get a traditional mountain breakfast of kanafe. This is a sweet cheese, covered in a phyllo mixture, and soaked in a clear syrup. It was delicious!! And I ate so much of it while we were there. I already want so much more though. I highly recommend anyone try real Lebanese kanafe.
While we were there, there was also an exhibit going on at the Grand Sofar Hotel and Train Station. This train station and hotel are no longer in use, but they used to be extremely popular especially among politicians. Politicians from all over would stop here and gamble in the casino that catered to the elite. Unfortunately, it was also a victim of the Lebanese civil war. The hotel was bombed and then looted to the point of almost losing all recognition. The train station is no longer in working order. But the art exhibit started some renovations and displayed some art playing tribute to the hotel in hopes of gaining enough funding to fully restore the hotel. It was a really special thing to see. I hope they do finish the renovations. I’d love to see it in its grandeur.
Sayda
Another day trip we took was to Sayda. Here we got to go shopping in the traditional souks. And Sammy found a nice toule (backgammon) set to play at home and display on a coffee table. It was also just a neat thing to see all the small shops crammed in the tiny hallways. Colors everywhere. We also had some of the best falafel I had in Lebanon there. It was just a small, unassuming shop, but the flavor burst in your mouth and the falafel almost melted when it hit your tongue. Delicious! I wish I remembered the name of the place.
While we were there, we also stopped at the Soap Museum. It was interesting to see the way soap is processed and to hear that it really hasn’t changed in all these years. Plus, the place smelled amazing. I really wanted to get some soap before we left, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find any of the kind I wanted to buy. Hopefully I can get some next time.
While there, we also got to see one of the castles used by Alexander the Great being restored. It’s crazy how much history resides in this one small country compared the newbie country of America, lol.
Baalbek
One of my favorite day trips (probably tied with the cedars) was the Baalbek ruins. This area has ruins from 3 different cultures all built on top of each other, but the main ones are Roman in origin. It’s crazy what good condition they are in and how they just let you go up and touch, climb, walk on any of them. I took so, so many pictures here because I’ve never been able to get this close to ruins before. It was fascinating. We also got to see how they restore them to a degree to which was fascinating. Plus, there was a museum for some of the older ruins. It was just stunning; I really don’t know how else to explain it. Take a look at the pictures and judge for yourself; although know that they don’t nearly do them justice.
As an aside, we also drove to a Roman Quarry where the largest monolith exists. It was kind of cool and really close to Baalbek, but I wouldn’t go too far out of my way to see it honestly.
