Thursday 29 July 2010

Baalbek and the Bekka Valley

Last stops in Lebanon that are worth mentioning, Baalbek, with what's left of the large site, remains from the Roman rule of the area, now preserved as a UNESCO world heritage site. All the Roman sites that I visited have wonderful, intricate carving in the rock to decorate the walls. The Temple of Jupiter has six of the largest columns in the world still standing as they once did, each measures 22.9 metres high with a girth of 2.2 metres. 

I also visited the Ksara winery in the Bekka Valley. Driving towards the boarder you have to pass though the Bekka Valley, a fertile area of land where grape vines flourish. The Ksara winery offers a free tour of the underground caves that make perfect natural cellars for red wine storage, a little video on the history of the winery, plus a few wines to taste at the end. The white wines are really dry, the rose and red wines are much smoother. I ended up with a few wines to take home, one of them a red wine that should be served chilled at ten degrees. In the gift shop are business cards from stockists around the world of Ksara wines including a stockist in Luton, twenty minutes from me.

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