zoom zoom gracie: Qadisha Valley, Lebanon

greetings,

we (Glen, Alison, Michael, Hank and myself) had the opportunity to take a guided hike into the Wadi Qadisha, in the north of Lebanon over a beautiful spring weekend. Wadi Qadisha translates to Holy Valley, it was most recently inhabited by the Maronites, a Christian sect, fleeing persecution from the Ottomans. The valley is actually 2 valleys, the Qozhaya Valley and the Qannoubine Valley that join to create the Qadisha Valley as a whole. Most of the rock homes are long abandoned, the terraces which were once carefully tended leave a powerful memory of peoples gone by.

for an in-depth description please check out this link to the UNESCO website:

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/850

there are many wild edibles on the trail, here are a few we discovered: grapes, olives, apples, pears, cherries, wild asparagus, 2 types of wild thyme (this is the main ingredient in the popular spice mixture called zatar), pennywort, bay laurel, anise, dill, garlic, onions, leeks and watercress

and the cultivars that we know and love, like poppies (including the opium type), lilies, euphorbia, tulips, narcissus and arums to name a few....

we left Beirut at 9 am, stopped for a quick breakfast and 2.5 hours later we arrived at the trailhead, the Qozhaya Monastery which is dedicated to St. Anthony. there was a great museum attached to the monastery which houses the first printing press in the middle east. from this place the hike began next to the river, this is where we first realized the magical two days we had ahead. we hiked into a small town and then continued to on for a beautiful lunch at a cafe nestled in the cliffs.

we proceeded to the Qadisha river and up the other side of the valley to the home of our hosts, papa Charbel, baby Charbel, Vivianne and grandma. they gave the 6 of us there beds after preparing a grand feast for us. papa Charbel worked some McGyver magic and rigged a lightbulb for us so we could eat outside. after enjoying home made Arak (anise flavored high potency alcohol) and the brilliant celestial show we turned in...

the morning brought birdsongs and the promise of another adventure. we set out to cross the river again and up to the Qannoubine Convent. frescos from the 12th century drip off the walls of the chapel, carved into the cliff. from here we visited other chapels and up to the last recognized christian hermitage, the current occupant has been there for 8 years, he's 72 and hails from Spain. we were lucky to have caught him enjoying the splendid weather and taking a break from his duties! after visiting with him we hiked to a lookout where we enjoyed a picnic lunch from our hosts. at this point we encountered the last push over the mountain into the next valley. the remainder of the trip was mostly on asphalt with the exception of a final tramp through the woods to arrive back at the monastery.

this is an area that is seldom visited by many Lebanese people, we were so very fortunate to have the guidance of Michael's parents to connect us with our gracious guide, Rafic. this portion of the trip was such a treat, few visitors to this complex and beautiful land are able to explore the Holy valley and all of it's treasures.

i hope this finds you all well, take care.

karengrace