The ruins of an ancient town at Byblos in Lebanon

When I toured Lebanon last summer we drove an hour north out of Beirut to stop at the coastal town of Byblos or Jbeil which is ideal to visit as a day trip. The city has a long history and became important as a city state and trading port under the Phoenicians thousands of years before the birth of Christ.

The city’s name is thought to derive from the Greek word bublos meaning papyrus, as it was a stopping off place for papyrus shipments on their way to Egypt and the linear alphabet is thought to have been invented here as a way of recording trade transactions. Apparently the name of the Bible derives from the same source as it was the book made of Papyrus.

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The archaeological site and crusader castle that you visit today is only a small part of the ancient city and was excavated in the last century by French archaeologist Maurice Dunand and others from the 1920s onwards. At that time the site was covered by houses just as the rest of the area is now and many families had to be moved and houses cleared to enable the archaeological work to begin.

When we arrived at the site and paid our entrance fee we decided that we needed some help to make sense of the ruins and found our guide, Wahid who had his young son with him and took us around showing us all the points of interest – without a guide I don’t think we’d have got nearly as much out of the visit.

He told us how the archaeological work required the building of a railway track, now somewhat overgrown, in order to enable the earth to be removed from the remains more easily. The site contains layer upon layer of different civilisations who all built one on top of the other, stealing stone from each older building to construct their own. Even the archaeologists moved some of the things they uncovered such as the Roman ampitheatre, re-locating them to other parts of the site, so that they could excavate the older buildings beneath.

The entrance to the site is dominated by the crusader castle built from enormous blocks of stone in the 12th century and with towers that have been more recently restored, with wonderful views from the terrace out to sea. There is a Roman ampitheatre which was originally much larger and has been moved to its current location overlooking the sea from a different part of the site where it was sitting on top of an ancient temple.

Another interesting feature of the site are the royal tombs of the Phoenician kings dating back to 1200 BC,  who were contemporaries of the Egyptian Pharohs. Some of the heavy stone sarcophogus have been moved to museums but we ventured down some steep steps to take a look inside the stone tomb of one that was too difficult to move, although its broken edges showed that someone had tried hard to see what treasure might be inside.

Wandering around the site at Byblos , covered with grass and bougainvillea made me realise what a peaceful place this coastline would have been before Beirut became such a fast growing city, with appartment blocks encroaching up the coast and nibbling at the edges of the town.

A music and cultural festival is held every summer in Byblos and was originally held on this site, but had been moved to a purpose built theatre by the sea to prevent any deterioration of the remains. This is a highlight of the summer in Lebanon as music festivals are held all over Lebanon in the ancient and historical sites such as Bettadine and Baalbek – although my friend who attended an operatic performance  told me that the Lebanese lady in front of her chatted all the way through.

Have you visited Lebanon? If so do share your stories – I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

More places to see in Lebanon

Road Block etiquette in Lebanon
Wine tasting stop at Chateau Ksara – in Lebanon
A lacklustre lunch at Pepe’s Byblos Fishing Club – in Lebanon

www.flickr.com heatheronhertravels’ Lebanon – Byblos photoset

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See the sights of Northern Ireland by car

This sponsored post from Jeannette Kelly takes us on a driving tour of Northern Ireland which has everything one could look for in a holiday destination – beautiful sandy beaches, top sightseeing spots and out of the way places for those who love exploring off the beaten track.

Stay in Londonderry

I would highly recommend starting your tour somewhere like Londonderry (also known as Derry) which has a rich cultural heritage and is the only remaining walled city in Northern Ireland. You can take a walk around medieval walls with a view over the old city, stopping off at the Tower museum to find out more about the city’s past. Although Londonderry is in the northern part of the country, it’s still central to the whole of Northern Ireland and County Londonderry boasts some amazingly beautiful beaches, scenic nature walks and fun water sports – something for all ages and tastes.

From Londonderry, it is only a short car ride (around one hour) into the capital city of Belfast. Hiring a car in Ireland is definitely recommended, as there are so many places to visit off the ordinary tourist trails it would be mad to miss out. If you enjoy driving then take the longer scenic route from Londonderry to Belfast on the ‘Causeway Route’ taking in cliffs and beaches at Portrush, the Bushmills Whiskey Distillery and of course the famous Giant’s Causeway.

Giant’s Causeway

The thousands of hexagonal ‘steps’ of the Giant’s Causeway, leading out into the sea are the topic of myth and legend in the local area. The columns of rock were formed of basalt as a result of a volcanic eruption and lava flow 60 million years ago and the area has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Legend claims that the giant Finn McCool built the causeway as a pathway the Scottish island of Staffa so he could confront his enemies there, and the rock formations have been given names such as Giant’s Boot, Giant’s eye and Chminey Stack.

Rathin Island

For those who want a little less touristy day out, why not visit the wild and rugged Rathlin Island, where visitors can experience the tranquility of an island with a population of only 70 people. Rathin Island is home of the RSPB seabird centre and in the summer months you can hope to see puffins, guillemots, razorbills and kittiwakes on the island. Arrival is by small ferry from Ballycastle which should be booked in advance, taking between 45 and 60 minutes, and if you want to stay a little longer there are self catering cottages and guest houses available.

Belfast Black Taxi Tour

If you really want to do something new, take a Belfast Black Taxi Tour. Local cabbies will happily share with you their experiences during the time of ‘the troubles’ for real honest first hand information as they drive you around some of the sites, made infamous by conflicts like Shankill Road and the wall murals – it’s a very interesting journey, and I thoroughly recommend it. You also get to drive past the shipyard known for building the ill-fated cruise liner, the ‘Titanic’ and it can also be arranged to have the trip extend outside of Belfast. Prices are £25.00 for 1 or 2 people, 3-5 people pay £10.00 each for the standard tour which lasts around and hour and half.

Car hire in Ireland can be easily arranged before the trip through one of the many car rental companies at the airport or in cities such as Belfast or Londonderry and is one of the best ways to get around everything you want to see in a short space of time.

Travel Resources for visiting Northern Ireland

Official Tourism site Northern Ireland – Discovernorthernireland.com
Official Tourism site Londonderry – Derryvisitor.com
Belfast Black Taxi Tours
Car Hire Ireland -To search for Cheap Car Hire in Ireland

Thanks to travel writer Jeanette Kelly who writes on a wide range of destinations in the UK.  Whether you want to know about dolphin spotting in Wales or reading destination articles, her articles definitely come recommended for those with the travelling bug.

Photo Credits: Londonderry Walls from DerryVisitor website,  Giant’s Causeway by Christolakis, Rathin Island by Karenwithak, Live Free Belfast Mural by PPCC Antifa

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Up close with the Mona Lisa at MOSI in Manchester

I know that you’ll have been pondering weighty questions such as “Did the Mona Lisa have any eyelashes?” and “What did she look like naked?” (without her varnish) and “What’s scribbled on the back of the painting?”. If these questions have been keeping you awake at night, then you’ll find all the answers you need at the Da Vinci Exhibition at MOSI (Museum of science and Industry) in Manchester.

The Da Vinci exhibition includes mock ups of Leonardo’s amazing inventions including Leonardo’s bicycle and his detailed anatomical drawings, but I really enjoyed the section about the secrets of the Mona Lisa, based on photographic analysis of the iconic portrait. Photographer Pascal Cotte was allowed to photograph both the back and front of the Mona Lisa out of it’s frame using a 240-million pixel camera that enabled him to create a replica of the picture down to the finest detail.

If you’ve tried to visit the Mona Lisa in the Louvre and been disappointed  because of the protective glass case and the crowds, then it’s great to get close enough to see every detail (albeit a replica). You can even see the scribbled marks on the back of the painting where various curators have made their notes over the years.

The photographic analysis allowed the portrait’s original pigment colours to be revealed and the exhibition shows a series of enlarged portraits comparing the colours as they are today, how they would be without the protective varnish and how it would have looked when it was first painted. There was something a bit Warhol-esque about seeing multiple Mona Lisas, all in slightly different colourway. Apparently when first painted there was lots more blue in the background, demonstrating the wealth of the patron as the Lapis Lazuli pigment used was one of the most expensive colours around.

Then there was the vexing question of her eyelashes. At first glance it looks as if she barely has any but the photography was able to show that they were there, just very faded over the years. I guess poor Mona’s starting to feel her age.

I did enjoy being to stand close to the Mona Lisa replica with no-one to stop me pressing my nose up to the glass so I could look at the painting in great detail. And there’s something slightly indecent about seeing all the nail holes and pencil marks and on the back of the painting scribbled by museum curators over the years. It made me realise that she’s just a painting after all, to be shipped from A to B , from palace to palace, for the pleasure of kings and princes.

Nowadays it seems she’s stuck in the Louvre, like a beauty with over-protective parents who won’t let her get out and about or even go travelling around the galleries of the world. There was a whole wall of closeups of those famous eyes that follow you around, just to demonstrate the point about her lashes, and I think I could detect a little sadness there.

MOSI in Manchester

MOSI in Manchester

Unfortunately, we didn’t get time to do the whole MOSI museum justice but it’s full of facinating exhibitions, including the one bit that we did walk through about the drains and sanitation of Manchester. No really! Sewers can be full of fun and are an integral part of Manchester’s social history as its population exploded during the industrial revolution causing all sorts of problems of dirt and disease due to poor sanitation.

The museum is in an old railway yard with the five engine sheds now converted in to exhibition space – there’s even a small steam engine you can ride up and down on. It’s a great place for families with plenty of hands on activities and it’s free too.

The Da Vinci exhibition is on at MOSI in Manchester until June 13 2010 and costs £7.50 for adults but I believe that this exhibition travels the world with Grande Exhibitions, so you may see it coming to another city in the world near you soon.

Have you visited the Mona Lisa at the Louvre and what did you make of her – did you get close enough to spot her eye lashes?

Thanks to CreativeTourist.com who sponsored my trip to Manchester and enabled me to get up close with the Mona Lisa – you’ll find all the creative inspiration you need about exhibitions, museums and creative happenings in Manchester on their website at Creativetourist.com

Other Manchester posts to enjoy

Leonardo’s bicycle at MOSI in Manchester
Getting to know LS Lowry at the Lowry in Manchester
Shaped by war – Don McCullin at the Imperial War Museum in Manchester

www.flickr.com heatheronhertravels’ Manchester photoset

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