Baalbek, Lebanon

We slept really well and were up long before our alarms rang. Breakfast was excellent, an assortment of cheeses, tomatoes, mini cucumbers, zaatar, breads, homemade jam (made by Samer’s mother), and some other stuff.

Our driver for the day, Rita, met us at 9am, and we were off for Baalbek, about 90 minutes east of Beirut in the Bekaa Valley. It’s about 15km from the border of Syria. When we were planning our trip, we weren’t sure how safe it would be to travel there, but the locals had no concerns at all. There’s a strong army presence in Bekaa, plus there’s a mountain range on the border.

On the drive up to Baalbek, Rita asked if we’d like to stop by Anjar, the site of more Roman ruins (Anjar Citadel). According to Rita, we had time for the side visit, so away we went!

There were a couple tour buses at the Anjar ruins when we arrived. If it was this busy at a minor ruin, I was now suspecting we wouldn’t be the only people at Baalbek. (When we were planning the trip, all the travel bloggers said that they were the only people at ruins. I think now that’s because they visited in off season).

The Anjar Citadel was a very peaceful ruin, with snow-capped mountains in the distance. It’s not the biggest site, but worth the side trip.

On the way from Anjar to Baalbek, we passed by an abandoned train station (with trains) that had weeds and small trees growing all around it. I should have taken a pic, but, by the time I thought about it, we were too far past and I didn’t want to backtrack.

And then we were in Baalbek! The ruins are in the centre of town. There were hundreds of tourists visiting, but the site is large and it wasn’t overwhelming.

First up was the Temple of Venus, which is the entrance to the ruins. This in itself is pretty cool, but it’s just the start. After you climb the steps, you enter the Great Court, which covers almost four acres. It’s pretty amazing. Then, you climb up 7m on a broad staircase to the Temple of Jupiter (on a platform about 50m x 90m). The remains of the temple are on the platform, where six columns (each 19m tall) still stand. It was under scaffolding when we were there, but you can still see the height of the temple, it was impressive.

And if that’s not enough, then you reach the Temple of Bacchus, which is the most amazing Roman ruin I’ve seen. There are 42 columns (each 20m tall) with really well preserved reliefs. The size and the detail is amazing.

After admiring it from the Temple of Jupiter, we then walked down and around the Temple of Bacchus, and finally into the interior. The size is even more impressive standing at the bottom looking up.

Overall, Baalbek is an amazing ruin complex.

We met up with Rita at the designated cafe where she was visiting with some family members from Baalbek. She pointed out the best things on the menu for lunch. It was mmm good.

The route back to Beirut goes through the wine region of the Bekaa valley, and it’s a common day trip to combine a visit to Maison Ksara after Baalbek. So, this is what we did too.

The winery had an interesting video on the history of the winery, which includes a 2km natural cave system where the wine is aged in barrels. The cool part is that you actually get to tour underground through the caves. I was thinking it would be restricted, what with how carefully they monitor the temperature and humidity levels.

We paid extra for the premium tastings, hosted in a proper wine tasting room. The wines were good, our favourite being the Cabernet Sauvignon.

Drove back to Beirut, showered, and then headed out for dinner at Seza, an Armenian bistro recommended by Samer (our hotel owner). It was really tasty. We also ordered a bottle of Ksara red (now that we know more about the wine).