Holy Crap… I’m in Bcharre!!!
Most places in Lebanon can be seen as easy day trips from Beirut, but not all. So I took a break from Beirut and headed up to the mountains to stunning Bcharre, a city on the edge of a cliff overlooking the very deep Qadisha Valley for a little hiking.
It was quite refreshing being up here, cooler temps, quieter nights, and the smell of pine trees all around. The main reason for coming here though, was to see the Cedars of Lebanon, or Cedars of God, the trees that Lebanon is known for. It’s even represented on their flag. Apparently, the Phoenicians made somewhat of a living by trading cedarwood with the Egyptians who had no other access to lumber. Unfortunately, now there are only a couple of small cedar forests in the country which are under government protection. The main one is here in the middle of a huge ski resort called, the Cedars. As soon as I arrived and checked in to my hotel I started hiking, about five or so miles to the protected area.
It was a nice end to the hike. I must have, but I don’t recall ever seeing a cedar before. They we’re surprisingly big and some of the trees here are thought to be as old as 1500 years. Wow! All I know is that I really enjoyed strolling and lazing amongst these giant magnificent trees. It was also slightly depressing knowing that this small forest is all that’s left as they used to cover almost the whole country.
The other reason I came to Bcharre is to see the Khalil Gibran Museum and tomb. For those of you not familiar with him, he’s mainly famous as the author of The Prophet, but he also wrote another favorite if mine, Spirits Rebellious, and was a prolific artist. He was born in Bcharre, and even though he spent most of his life between Boston and Paris, he wanted to be buried here in the 7th century cave monastery just north of town. Now the whole place is a gallery of his artwork and some of his things, and of course, his tomb. It may not be a big deal for some, but for me it was quite a thrill to visit this place.
Bcharre was a beautiful, yet very short stop. Tomorrow I head back to the coast. Only a few more days before heading home.
See all of Bcharre and the Cedars here