We entered Lebanon from the north via the coastal road leading to Tripoli. After nearly three hours of hustle, we finally broke free from the surroundings of the Syrian-Kivan border checkpoints. And here it is, Lebanon — green from the lush spring grass and blue from the sea and skies.
Our first desire was to see the famous Lebanese cedars. Look at the flag of Lebanon, and you will see the cedar, which has become the symbol of the country. What grows in the expanses of Siberia, to be frank, is not a cedar. It is merely a cedar pine. True cedars grow in Lebanon, and the tree is called the Lebanese cedar. In ancient times, it was used in both construction and shipbuilding. It is believed that various pests do not like its wood. Burial chambers and sarcophagi were made from it in Egypt. Cedar was used for the decoration of palaces and cult buildings. The famous Italian Venice was built on piles made from Lebanese cedar. Phoenician sailors sailed the Mediterranean Sea on cedar ships.
Lebanese cedars are among the oldest trees on Earth. Today, groves of these relics have survived only high in the mountains near the snow. There are only six small cedar groves remaining. One of the most famous is located in a place aptly named — Cedars. Amidst the white snows in a gentle hollow on the slopes, the oldest grove of giant cedars stands out as a single green island. The significant distance between the tree trunks does not prevent them from connecting with dense crowns. The cedars are enormous, venerable, and perhaps a bit arrogant. Each of them is over three thousand years old. Can you imagine! Almost the entire history of human civilization has passed before them. These cedars were used to build the finest buildings and palaces of ancient Jerusalem, Persepolis, and Rome. Here, under the vast canopies of the ancient inhabitants of the Earth, you feel the magnitude of something called Time.
This area is a true tourist paradise. Deep vertical canyons, along which fairy-tale cities and churches literally hang, green mountains and nearby snowy peaks, caves and panoramas... all remind one of Switzerland. But this is Lebanon. An Arab country today, distinguished by its extraordinarily religious diversity. Lebanon has a special political system — confessionalism, which implies the organization of state power in accordance with the division of society into religious communities.
Time flew swiftly. The sun was literally racing behind the mountain ridge. The verticals blurred, and the spaces lit up with the lights of countless towns. The mountains transformed into an endless starry sky. We were driving, or rather floating, winding among the shimmering clusters of stars. From time to time, fierce downpours swept in from invisible spaces. And this continued all the way to Beirut, where we arrived mortally tired just before midnight.
In the morning, rain. Sometimes more, sometimes less, with very short intermissions for the sun and rainbows. The weather is not very conducive to city excursions, so we head to the Jeita Grotto. In the underground kingdom of Jeita, the weather is always good, warm, and beautiful. This is a famous attraction in Lebanon. The length of the cave is about nine kilometers. This unique natural creation is located in the southwestern suburb of Beirut in the upper part of the Dog River valley, which flows into the Mediterranean Sea. For tourists, the upper and lower sections of the cave are equipped. The tour begins from the upper part, which is accessed by cable cars.
