Marie Joe & Toni's Wedding


	Marie Joe & Toni's Wedding - Bsharreh

Bsharreh, 1400 meters high, commands a prime position at the head of the Qadisha valley just below the famous Cedars of Lebanon. In Crusader times it was known as one of the fiefs of the country of Tripoli. Bsharreh can be reached from Tripoli or through Ehden or through the Koura district starting at Chekka on the coast. This is the hometown of Gibran Khalil Gibran (1883-1931) the Lebanese poet and painter. A museum near his place of burial in the rock-cut monastery of Mar Sarkis should not be missed. Open daily in winter from 9 am to 5 pm except Mondays, and every day during the summer.

The journey to Bsharre and the Cedars passes through some of Lebanon's most spectacular scenery.

The mountain road winds through the countryside where red-tile roofed houses cling precariously to the cliffs, and a patchwork of vineyards and olive groves stretch out into the lush valleys.

The mountain town of Bsharre is the birth and resting place of Lebanon's famous artist/author Gibran Khalil Gibran. From Bsharre the road climbs some 400 meters until it reaches the last remaining forest of cedars in Lebanon.

The grove of 400 trees, some of which are more than 1,500 years old, are on the slopes of Mt. Makmal.

The Cedars is a prime ski resort for both downhill and cross country skiing. There are ski hire shops and accommodation in the village below the forest. One of the country's most unforgettable vistas is of the Qadisha valley which plunges down toward the coast from the Cedars. From the Cedars it is a 4-hour hike to Lebanon's highest peak, Qornet Es Sauda.

Bsharre (also Bsharre, Bsharri, or Bsharreh), near the resort, is famous in it own right as the birth place of the popular Lebanese poet, artist, philosopher and mystic Gibran Khalil Gibran.

There is also a chapel in the forest itself; the Maronite structure dates to 1843.