21st May 2010

Up early and off to Lebanon at 7am. It was a long crossing at the border. First stop was the Fertility Stone. Then to the Baalbek Ruins which have the tallest columns in the world and is Lebanon's greatest Roman treasure, counted among the wonders of the ancient world containing some of the largest and best preserved Roman ruins. Our lack of expectation made to the delight of Baalbek all the more astounding. We knew we'd be seeing 'some ruins' at the sight. But oh my! This sight made so many of the other Roman ruins we've seen pale in comparison to the splendour and magnificence on display. We had lunch in Beirut at a little cafe in Ajami Square. We had a tour of the city and saw Mosque Mohammed Alaman, Rolex Clock which is in Nejmeh square in the heart of the Beirut City Center, St Georges Cathedral, the Holiday Inn which was used as a vantage point for militias and was heavily damaged in 1975 during the Lebanese Civil War (this hotel has been left the way it was from the Civil War with bullets in the buildings, blown out windows etc). It remains as a scar on the face of a city that is trying to reinvent itself. We continued to the Roman Baths discovered in the 1960's, Yacht Club, McDonalds and a Hard Rock Cafe. I bought Pete and Mother of Pearl Jewel Case here. It was a long day and we arrived back at our campsite at midnight.