Have I got an awesome photo gallery for you this week!

So, I organised a bus tour at the last minute on Friday, and on Saturday I ended up going on a magnificent tour of a couple of spots. This time, we headed east from the city, towards the Bakaar Valley.

Once again, it was suprisingly warm for the heights we were reaching. Normally, the mountains would be covered with snow this time of year, but it seems that this is the exception to the rule.

On the way up, we stopped at a bakery called Wooden Bakery where we ate a type of herb-covered bread called zaatar for breakfast, it was delicious and filling.

Al Shouf Cedar Reserve was the first stop. It boasts beautiful flora, and has incredible panoramic views of the coast and nearby towns. I spent my entire time snapping pictures, and regret I couldn’t just slow down and relax. The cedar trees here are incredibly old (there was a huge one that was about 5000 years old), and it’s quite a haven from the busy city, which was only an hour’s drive down the mountain.

We continued, over the top of the mountain ridge, down into the Bakaar Valley. At the bottom of the mountain ridge was a town called Kefraya, home of Chateau Kefraya, a place renowned for it’s wineries. Their wines are exported across Europe and are of an extremely good quality. I had the pleasure of uh, testing a few of the different wines available, and then had a very relaxing walk through the vineyards, up to the actual Chateau (castle) overlooking the vineyards. Unfortunately it was closed to viewing on Saturdays, but I managed to take a couple of shots of it.

Then, it was a quiet and sleepy drive back up and down the mountain ridge into the city, where I ended up having the most comfortable sleep I could remember.

Enjoy the photos!

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