On Saturday my dear friend Madeleine took a group of us on a daytrip to visit Tannourine Cedar Reserve, a stand of some of the most stunning cedars in Lebanon. Considering that my interest in this part of the world was sparked by a high school unit on the Epic of Gilgamesh (which features these cedars prominently), it was a magical day.

The weather up high was so beautiful it would have been magical anyway – after humid Beirut it is wonderful to be in cool, breezy, fragrant air – in the reserve everything smelled like fresh cedar. It was marvelous. As we finished our hike around the reserve, some cool fog blew in and settled around us. It cleared up just in time for sunset.

See a slideshow of nearly 40 stunning cedar photos here.