This will be our last day exploring the mountains - although we do return to them on Sunday when we have to traverse both set and the Bekka Valley on the way to Syria.
Again the snow has modified our plans for today as we were supposed to walk up the Qadisha Valley to discover its Maronite sites. However, it was deemed that the original approach by steps might be too slippery and, instead, we were driven into te floor of the Valley.
The Valley is a steepsided gorge cut over many many melennia by millions upon millions of gallons of water wearing away the Limestone. It is a rugged, remote area which must have provided ideal protection for the early Maronite Sect, originallly from Syria, sheltering from persecution by mainstream Christians.
Today Qadisha’s valley slopes and cliffs are strewn with red roofed Maronite villages, monasteries built into the sides of cliff faces and hermitages where the 13th century frescoes remain on the walls. Nowadays Maronite services are conducted in Syriac, which is a language closely related to Aramaic, the language of Christ. The traditional Syriac translation of Qadisha is ‘Valley of the Saints’.
The first part of the walk was an easy down hill one visiting a couple of religious establishments before stopping for lunch at a remote cafe where the owner had driven in especially to open up for us. The walk back up the track was an excellent opportunity, after days of semi-inactivity - to get some exercise by yomping up at a respectable rate of knots.
We returned to Byblos for a meal at Pepe's resturant which has in the past been the haunt of the rich and famous - evidenced by the hundred of photos on the walls. Now Pepe is long gone and the establishment is overseen by his septigenerian son - to an extent it is still living off its establishments and, although we had a good time, it wasn't a culinary extravaganza !
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