To Deir El Qamar Baadarane and Beitiddine Palace

This morning we travelled a short way along Lebanon's coast and stopped on a cliff top close to a couple of offshore stacks - one with a large arch. With a westerly wind blowing all the way from Gibralter, massive rollers crashed into the cliffs and through the arch. It would have done justice to Cornwall in a Winter gale.

When then climed into the Chuaf Mountains up steep winding roads clinging to the steep sides. The draw back was that as we climbed the rain turned to sleet and then proper snow.

Our objective was the Beittedine Palace. It was built in a typical Arabic style with many arches, vaulted ceilings and small fountains. The former stables had been converted to house some impressive Byzantine mosaics. The palace is the venue for an annual arts festival and there were many photographs of past performers. It seemed to attract a wide range of well known performers - from world famous opera singers, through African & Indian drummers to the Cats musical and Elton John. However, unfortunately, I think my abiding memory will be of the cold wind, driving sleet and slush under foot.

Lunch was taken in a large restaurant - which would have been a chance for a very welcome warm up. However, the wind had been so strong down the chimney, they had had to extinguish the large log fire. The fare of mezze, rice, chicken & cashew nuts was fine - especially the rasmali sweet that followed. However, my illusion of escaping Christmas was further shattered when, after Christmas trees and street decorations in Beirut, the big local family group on the next table started singing Jingle bells and carols.

As we left the cloud base lifted slightly and we could see all the way down the valley to the beaches and - in the distance - a few very isolated patches of sunlight on the sea.

From there we travelled towards Deir El Qamar where we were supposed to be staying in a local guesthouse for the night. As we continued to gain altitude, the sleet turned to snow and the scenery became spectacular. However, we were on a single track road which made passing cars coming the other way entertaining - especially as the verge was rapid becoming buried under the snow. Evidently the place where it was planned to stay had lost its electricity when the snow brought down the power line. After much discussion between our Tour and local guides and the local agent's office back in Beirut, we ended up at a hostel that had been closed for the Winter. It took some time for our bedroom to heat up - after bleeding one of the radiators. There seemed to have been some mix up as the hostel were not expecting to provide us with an evening meal - just breakfast.

Dinner

In the end they managed to produce a hot & filling Spag Bol after which everybody quickly disappeared to bury into their duvets as we had a 0630 breakfast planned. There was some trepidation when it was announced that the power (and therefore the heating)would be switched off between 2300 and 0500. This was because the mains electricity was down as a result of the snow and the generator couldn't operate all night. We hoped that the roads would be clear so that we could escape from the mountain top village.