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The desert ruins of Palmyra

Sebastian and I had been on a trip to Syria and Lebanon since the end of May. Check back the May pictures if you haven't seen them yet!

There is a lot to see and to do around Damascus, but we decided to visit two monasteries in the north. The first destination was Maaloula, a town with an Arameic majority where this old language apparently is still surviving. In Maaloula, there is the Convent of St. Tecla where we could stay for the night. The village is quiet and the houses are beautifully aligned on the mountain sides. One valley ends in a small and narrow canyon that is impressive to walk through.

Main crossing Maaloula's houses First thing: Get a tea! Salty Syrian cheese View from the monastery's shrine Me in the canyon Narrow passage of the canyon Small creek Maaloula form the top The convent of St Tecla A bus like the one we took Leaving with the bus

We left Maaloula with the bus the next day that was going back to Damascus. But, we wanted to head further north to the Monastery of Deir Mar Musa and so we asked to be dropped of at the highway. There we met a few friendly truck drivers and one was willing to take us along for a few kilometers. He was transporting Sinalco lemonade, a German brand that originated from Detmold, where I went to school. This page about the History of Sinalco also shows that Sinalco was exported to the Near East and South America since 1907. Cool.

So, since the monastery of Deir Mar Musa is so far form the next town, we've decided to walk a little. We were a bit off the track at the end, and a Bedouin tractor driver took us along for a small ride and then pointed us into the right direction.

An ice cooled Sinalco The truck The nice Syrian trucker This is so cool Walking through the Syrian desert Sebastian and the desert The nice Bedouin tractor driver Sebastian and I on the tracktor Welcome sign of the monastery

When we entered the valley, we could see the monastery a bit up in the valley. It looks magnificent, there is a small cable car to bring up goods and there's a small garden for herbs and vegetables.

We were welcomed by Frederic, a French novice who has been living in Mar Musa for two years now. The monastery was reopened in 1982 by Paulo, an Italian catholic monk. It was an old, abandoned orthodox monastery before and within over 20 years now, Paulo has been rebuilding and reviving it into a magnificent place of peace, hospitality and christian-muslim understanding.

We have met Frederic and Paulo and a few other monks and nuns living in the monastery. Also, quite a few other short term or long term visitors were staying in the monastery. This place was really peaceful and mind soothing and it was so interesting to exchange thoughts and stories with all the people that we shared our few days with.

We've also met some people again in Mar Musa. There was Alex, a French photographer that was staying in the same hotel as us in Damascus. And on the second day, also Javier and Monica found their way to Mar Musa, a really nice surprise! There's much more to tell, but I'll let the pictures speak.

The monastery has a website if you want to check for further information.

A cable car The view out of the monastery's wall View on the monastery from the other side of the valley Sunset on the hilltop Sunrise the next morning Other quarters lit by the first sunrays Mar Musa's main building by sunrise Our room Sunlight hitting the church's carpet The church's roof window Breakfast We met Javier again Having breakfast together Philipe Monica Monica and Boutros Monica and Boutros Monica and Boutros Suad taking a picture Javier A complaining goat Frederic and Gionne Gionne Abdelmasih Chamun, a painter from Aleppo My notebook Me Mar Musa from the back Boutros in the church Brushing my teeth The turtle eating cucumber peals The turtle, close up The church entrance Eglantine in the kitchen Richard form the US View on the mountain top Fields and trees on the mountain Frederic and Paulo in the back Frederic and Gionne Two pigions on the terrace railing

On the last afternoon we went off to go to the mountains. Some French came along, among them Philipe and Mathilde. We went over the next mountain top and saw a few guys doing something around their truck and caterpillar when one was suddenly shouting and waving. We didn't understand a word and thought that maybe we were not welcome. But then one of the men was running after us and just wanted to invite us for a tea and cigarettes. Too bad that I'm so bad at remembering Arabic names... These guys were really cool. And we had to recognize their German Magirus truck with honor.

Sebastian and Mathilde The tea pot Getting ready for the foto Foto! Today I wonder what they were digging for... On their truck On their truck On their truck

After the departure from Mar Musa, we headed for Palmyra. On the side of a newer town, living mainly from the tourists, there are old and huge ruins over a big terrain. Ancient streets, gates, pillars, guard towers, temples and tombs can be visited and explored. Palmyra has already been an important city in Persian and Assyrian times and was later inhabited by Romans. Really nice is to see the sunset from the neigbouring hilltop or the citadel.

Lunch at the Sprint Restaurant The terrace of the Spring Restaurant Some pillars aligned to the street Other pillars And yet more pillars View from the hilltop Sebastian on the hilltop Me

From Palmyra, we were heading towards the west, to Tartus on the coast. Another famous sight along the way is a huge and yet pretty intact crusader castle, Krak de Chevaliers.

Changing busses in Homs station Sebastian in some hole Huge corridors The knight's hall Some more stairs Inside, near the kitchen Inside The church room Gloomy light The outer rim The command tower

Tartus is a pretty touristic town on the coast. There's a typical mediterranean promenade with cafes, restaurants and hotels. And it's so dirty. The sewage is going directy into the water and Syrians have no sensibility whatsoever to dispose their litter. Aweful! We went on a ferry to the close Arwad Island. People take cans, plastic bags and just throw them in the water or anywhere on land. They actually wonder when you point that out to them and assure you that this is ... "No problem!"

The Arwad Island itself has a few nice corners, especially nice to see is the boat constructions. But every sqare meter is covered by trash. There is no spot along the water without stepping on something a Syrian apparently didn't need anymore. So I skipped swimming.

Sunset and the Tartus harbour Sunset in Tartus The lit promenade Some freighter on the way to Arwad Island Streets on Arwas Island A boat construction Some kid running around A guy painting his boat Taking notes in a cafe Pelicans at sunset

Our single entry visa for Syria kept us from going into Lebanon first, because we had to get back to Turkey somehow. And there are no ferries to go around Syria. But we had heard that there would be no problem to get another transit visa at the border when returning back to Syria. And so we went to Beirut. I mean, once you're in the area, you should really visit Beirut.

We just had one night to spend there and found a nice and comfortable budget hotel. The downtown area is very modern and was rebuilt with enormous effort after the war. Apart from this area, there are still many damages along the facades of some houses to be seen. But in general and compared to Syrian towns, Beirut is very modern. There are many modern shops, cafes, bars and many people drive around in expensive cars. Also, the price level is much higher than in Syria. But, then you realize that this wealth may only be reachable for the rich ten percent of the Lebanese people.

The spicy hummus in the Al Balad restaurant was the best I've ever had. Plus, Lebanese wine, Chateau Ksara is really good.

Later, while looking for some of the promised nightlife, we've found the Torino Express. Andre, a guy from Munich who is living in Beirut for already some years opened up this place one year ago.

Downtown Beirut with clocktower Downtown street with the Al Balad restaurant The clock tower at the Place d'Étoile Some houses Another house Yet another house View from the promenade The Pigeon Heads Terrace of the Bay Rock Cafe Sebastian at dinner Downtown at night The big mosque Demonstrants camping on the Place des Martyrs Torino Express Barman in the Torino Express Behind the bar Welcome to Libano People drinking coffe at the Place d'Étoile

We set off at night and also crossed the border into Syria at night. To get our transit visa, we had to wait in the border control office, go to another guy to pay, get another paper, bring it back and finally have patience until these guys are done. It's really like in a movie: The air is warm, filthy fans on the ceiling keep the air moving, the border patrol inspects the passport, smokes a cigaret and drives away the flies. The light comes from bright neon bulbs, one is flickering. Sitting next to the door is one guy doing nothing, just sitting.

We arrived very early in Istanbul and had a chance to see the sunrise over the bosphorus. Later, we met up with Sebnem and spend the day with her and found ourselves a hotel for the night. On the next day, we've been out shopping a little in the Bazar district, before going to the airport and, finally, returning home.

Toilet at the bus station in Beirut Changing busses in Aleppo On the border to Turkey Another photographer Sunrise Sunrise! Fishermen on the Galat bridge Sebastian and I Sebnem with us Bosphorus bridge at night Sebnem in the car Sitting in a comfortable bar Seeing the sunrise in the plane Sunrise after landed in Cologne Getting a coffee in the Cologne train station