Rest, Relaxation, and Really old Ruins

At half way through our trip, we needed some time to relax, rejuvenate and recharge. We took the advice of some friends and visited the beach resort called Edde-Sands. It’s made up of a complex array of pools, ponds, and of course, the Mediterranean Sea. For lunch we had ice cold Almaza beer and some pizza. In the evening we had some chicken Shawerma sandwiches from a local joint. I went to bed while dad stayed up and did some work on the computer.





Our trip to Baalbeck the next day started slow. We first had breakfast at Wooden Bakery and enjoyed fresh squeezed OJ and a Manaiysh sandwich right out of the oven. To reach the Bekaa Valley, we planned on crossing the mountain ranges through Ale, Bhamdoon, and Dhour al Shweir. However, after 1 hour of sitting in traffic and frustration from not being able to figure out the freeway exits that get us there, we turned around. We then took the familiar route through Bikfaya, Bologna and Zahle. From there we turned north towards Baalbeck.

Baalbeck is named after the Phonecian God, Baad. The Ruins are some of the largest and best preserved Roman ruins in the world. Some of the buildings are dated as far back as the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. It is an incredible tourist site no visitor to Lebanon should miss.











On the way back to Beirut we stopped in Zahle and had dinner at the Arabi restaurant in Wadi, Zahle. The menu included tabouleh, garbanzo beans, frog legs, and Asafir. Asafir are tiny birds, unlike the quails we have back at home. As always, dinner was complemented by an argileh and we topped it all off with some ice cream and an assortment of fruit. The plums, in season, were so sweet and juicy; you could not eat them without making a mess.