Bambi is grateful for the generosity of her friend Khaldie. All the pictures and the short video below were taken in Northern Lebanon.
As described under each picture, most of the images were taken in a gorgeous region of the Akkar district called Tachaa. The rest of the pictures are landscapes, shot by Khaldie from the Saydet el Nouriyi [Our Lady of Nourieh or Light] monastery lying on top of a small mountain (https://www.destimap.com/index.php?act=attraction&a=Saydet-el-Nouriyi-Monastery%2C-Chekka%2C-Lebanon), with a view of the Mediterranean sea in the Chekka region, which lies in the Batroun district/Governorate, shown below.
Bambi is eager to visit the beautiful place of birth of Khaldie one of these days!
For now, she will just comment on the last set of pictures taken in Chekka. She will share with you that this region of Lebanon is dear to her heart. Indeed, during several summer visits to her birth country, her family and childhood friends [some likely reading this blog now :)] used to drive her, all the way from Beirut, to this destination to spend the day swimming in the magical, warm, and transparent water. To end the day with more pictures and perhaps with a spiritual touch, they would drive on top of that mountain by the sea to visit the monastery mentioned above before returning to Beirut. Bambi will always cherish those unforgettable memories!
To conclude this post on a musical note, to thank both Khaldie and Lebanon for this beauty, Bambi will offer them two songs: The first one is by Fairouz, sub-titled in English, and entitled “Bihabak ya Liban” [“I love you Lebanon“]. As for the second song, also sub-titled in English, it is by Ms. Tanya Kassis and it is called “Watani” [“My country”].
If you are interested in watching this landscape shown above as a short video, you can see it here :): https://youtube.com/shorts/_ypCyfChUFk?feature=share
Now, after watching the above, we cannot visit Lebanon without tasting its DELICIOUS food. The picture below shows a tannour oven like this one, opened by a guy from Akkar in the city of Byblos or Jbeil (Lebanon):
Now, you may wonder how the bread shown in the picture above will become at the end of the short baking process. Please take a look and be honest with Bambi: Doesn’t this “Markouk” [= thin] pita [or Arabic] bread looks delicious?! Bambi is salivating now imagining this bread filled with thyme [yes, zaatar with cucumbers, mint, and tomotoes!] or with delicious homemade cheese or even with roasted chicken like those we find in Montreal or Beirut!
OK, enough of salivation because of food. Now is the time to dream of a nice dive in the Chekka bay!
Thank you again Khaldie. Welcome back home! Bambi hopes you will enjoy these two songs about our birth country.
This is Bambi commenting fast on her own post to thank her friend who reminded her than tannour oven is the same as “tandoor” (in Hindi). She is grateful to have learned that, in the Hindi language, we also say “watan” for “the country”. Cool!