Cable Cars Outside San Francisco!

Part of my Saturday trip last weekend was a cable car ride up to the Lady of Harissa, a giant white statue of the Virgin of Lebanon at the top of a hill (mountain?) overlooking Jounieh bay.  Finished at the end of the 19th century, the Lady of Harissa is right next to one of the most famous churches in Lebanon and quite a sight to behold.

The most remarkable part of the Lady of Harissa is the way that you get there (or at least the way we did), which was by cable car from the center of Jounieh up to Harissa.  Called the telepherique, the cable car ride is about ten minutes long and was quite an experience.  Surprisingly, my fear of heights didn't really kick in, but it was a little too early in the morning for me to be thinking of anything at all really.

I've seen the cable cars several times from the highway now, and they are always beautiful:

Faced with the prospect of actually getting on one, they started to look old and rundown.  But as I said it was early, and I didn't care so much.  I got in car #22, and headed uphill for a ride that ended up being about ten minutes long.  A view from the car looking down on the bay:

It was georgeous up at the top, but the highlight was definitely the Lady of Harissa, which I had to climb a winding staircase around to take this picture up at the very top:

The view from the very top down to the bay, it was a little smoggy that Saturday:

That's all for now, more on the rest of our Saturday trip later today or tomorrow.