Monday 25th January - Damascus to Krak des Chevaliers

The sound of rain hammering on the windows eased the decision to have a lie in, but we had to eventually venture out from under the covers and pack ourselves up for our drive to the crusader castle at Krak des Chevaliers. Today turned out to be good preparation for the rest of our journey home as we had about a four hour drive ahead of us in the driving rain (although we’ll be doing eight hours a day when we hit Turkey), which was followed by heavy snow as we climbed into the mountains to visit the Convent of Our Lady of Seidnayya.

The Greek Orthodox Convent is one of the most important places of Christian pilgrimage in the Middle East as it houses a portrait of the Virgin Mary purportedly painted by St Luke, to which various miracles have been attributed. Seidnayya was considered second in importance only to Jerusalem during the Crusades. The original monastery was built sometime between 434 and 546 AD, but today’s structure dates back to the 19th century.

The lift up to the convent took us a bit by surprise, but it saved us having to negotiate the four flights of stairs which we didn’t fancy in the blizzard that was underway. A nun kindly opened the main chapel for us, crammed full of modern icons, but unfortunately the pilgrimage room with the famed portrait remained locked; I think she knew we weren’t real pilgrims when we declined the offer of bread.

Still, it was an impressive building and the sun even came out as we were leaving.

Chocolate croissants bought yesterday softened the blow of not seeing the icon, even though they had lost a bit of their melt in the mouth deliciousness.

A relatively easy drive north to Homs then west towards the coast brought us to Krak des Chevaliers by about 1500, although we’d planned to visit the castle properly tomorrow morning so just had a quick drive around the impressive structure before heading to the Bebers Hotel across the valley. Balcony views of the castle and heating; what more do you need on a cold and wet afternoon in Syria?