In the mountainous village of Akkar there is a spectacular cave, the Mishmish Cavern, which is 800 meters long and 20 meters wide, with stalactites and stalagmites, and was discovered by the Ministry of Electricity and Water Resources in 1995.  The discovery team was led by Ahmad Taleb, a local shepherd who lived nearby.  Attempts to appeal to the Ministry of Tourism for its development have been since dropped.  The government claims that it is not spacious enough for people to crawl into, and it is also very steep and dangerous.

It is not difficult to find your way around in Lebanon, despite the constantly changing roads and the lack of street signs and updated maps.  Still, this is a small country: there's the sea to one side, mountains to the other, and you can drive from north to south in three hours.  Detailed maps can be bought at the local bookstores.  Do not hesitate to ask people for help.  Most people are very friendly and will do their best to be useful.

The Pious Life - and Remarkable Death of Lebanon's Hermit Saint:
He was born May 8, 1828 in the mountain village of Beqa'Kafra, the highest village in Lebanon, to a poor Maronite Family.
During his life, he lived a solemn, pious life that, in a proper spirit of Christian renunciation, drew no attention to himself.  It was only after he died that he gained fame.
At age 23, he entered the monastery of our Lady of Mayfouk, north of Byblos, where he became a novice.  After spending two years as a novitiate, he was sent to the Mar Maroun Monastery where he took the monastic vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
After this, St. Charbel was transfered to the monastery of Kfeifan where he studied philosophy and theology.  He was ordained as a priest in 1859 and then sent back to the Mar Maroun monastery.  He spent nineteen years performing his priestly and monastic duties and dedicated himself to living in silence before God.
In 1875, he was granted permission to live as a hermit in the nearby monastery of St. Peter and St. Paul. He then spent the next 23 years as a hermit.  On December 16, 1898, while reciting prayer, St. Charbel suffered a stroke.  He died on Christmas Eve at the age of 70.
A few months after he died, his superiors reported seeing a bright light surrounding his tomb, and when they opened it found that his body was still intact.  Since that day, it is said that a blood-like liquid has flowed from his body.  His body's incorruptibility and flexibility has baffled both scientists and medical experts.  In both 1950 and 1952, his tomb was opened and his body still appeared life-like.
In December 1965, St. Charbel was beatified by Pope Paul VI, and finally on October 9, 1997 he was canonized as a saint.

A Miraculous Cure by Saint Charbel:
On the 22nd of the month in 1992, Nohad Al-Chami, a resident of Halaat (a village near Jbeil), suffered a stroke which paralyzed half her body.
However, in the same night, she claims that Saint Charbel appeared to her and performed an operation on her.  When she woke, Al-Chami says there were stitch marks on her neck and she was no longer paralyzed.
In return for her miraculous cure, Al-Chami claims that whe was asked by Saint Charbel to visit the monastery bearing his name each 22nd of the month and bear witness at a mass held there.  After this, she was told she should attend different masses at different churches throughout the day.  And so, every 22nd of the month since her miraculous cure, Al-Chami has performed her duties and has attracted legions of other faithful people, often attracting crowds of up to 3,000.

Horsh Beirut, located behind the racetrack and filled with trees and a breath of pine-scented air was bombed to nothing during the Israeli invasion in 1982.  Today, the refurbished park contains 320,000 square meters of pine and palm trees, shrubs, and many fragrant plants.  The park includes a children's play area, an amphitheater, and a one-kilometer promenade for cultural events and sporting activities.  The renovation program was organized by two French companies and was a three-phase plan.