Just hours after grading the last of 80-or-so final exams, Wade was sitting on Ted's balcony. Ted is a middle school history teacher, who, like Wade, was basically finished with the school year. The question was what to do with that extra bit of free time -- the few days after all the grades have been reported but still before everyone flies home for the summer.
Ted had a great idea -- spend the day riding the famous Teleferique of Jounieh and then hike down the wooded mountainside. Jounieh was easy to get to and the Teleferique was something that Wade had yet to do.
Wade, working his way through dozens of essays.
From the view on the main highway, Jounieh is probably the ugliest place in Lebanon. The town sits along the coast, 21 kilometers north of Beirut, just where the foothills of Mount Lebanon drop straight into the Mediterranean. So there should be a lot of natural beauty in Jounieh. Unfortunately, what used to be citrus groves and fields of banana trees before the war has since turned into a concrete jungle of apartment blocks, casinos, and the occasional "Super Nightclub" (that's Lebanese for strip club). If you don't like central planning of cities, go to Jounieh and you might change your mind.
The view of Jounieh from the main highway.
The Teleferique is a cable car that leaves from the center of Jounieh and rises 550 meters (or about 1,850 feet) in about ten minutes. The last few minutes of the ride is particularly steep, ending in a village called Harissa. That is the location of Our Lady of Lebanon, a site of pilgrimage for many Maronites.
The Teleferique is well worth the $4 price for riding. As you ascend, the air clears, the temperature drops, and the view of the traffic and buildings along the coast starts to look pretty!
The Teleferique, looking down from Harissa towards Jounieh.
The statue of Our Lady of Lebanon, which stares down in ironic disapproval at Jounieh's bars, casinos, and strip clubs.
From the top of Harissa, Ted and Wade started their hike back down towards Jounieh. It was a few kilometers of a walk on a trail that zig-zags its way through a pine forest owned by the Maronite Church. For much of the hike, you can't see any buildings, only the occasional shrine to the Virgin Mary.
About halfway down the mountain, the trail splits; on the right fork is an abandoned monastery. We learned from a Lebanese friend that the monastery dates back to at least the 17th century. Our friend's great-aunt actually lived their as a nun. Now, the nun/monk's dormitory is filled with chickens and goats. There are some Syrian guys working the land around it, growing various fruits and vegetables.
Ted, exploring the main courtyard of the old monastery.
Ted, who grew up in rural Vermont, knows how to make friends with the Lebanese goats.
Wade's afternoon exploring with Ted was a great way to say goodbye to Lebanon. In a couple days, we'll be back home!
Are you sure that's Ted and not Wade with a beard?
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