Lebanons

Lebanons, part 7: The Land

The last chapter in Yuval Ben-Ami’s anti-travelogue: an exploration of places unvisited. (Click here for the rest.) They say that in the Swiss countryside, one need not wear a watch or carry a cellphone to know the time. Towns are abundant, and each country church sports a functioning clock. Just look over to the next village, and you…

By Yuval Ben-Ami February 10, 2016

An imaginary plan of ancient Jerusalem from Calmet's Biblical dictionary, 1732.

Lebanons part 6: The Bird

Yuval Ben-Ami’s new project is an anti-travelogue: an exploration of places unvisited. (Click here for more.) The afternoon dragged on and the fog persisted. I passed the time playing catch with the friendly poodle with chewed up piece of rope, tossing it into the patch of snow outside the hut’s door. Beyond that patch of snow, I knew,…

By Yuval Ben-Ami February 10, 2016

raham Ortelius map of Crete and ten other Greek islands, 1584

Lebanons, part 5: The Smoke

Yuval Ben-Ami’s new project is an anti-travelogue: an exploration of places unvisited. (Click here for more.) I made a bit of a headway. When the fog parted below me, the dark desert appeared at an exhilarating depth. Moreover: somewhere not far over my straining head, bits of grass stuck out, signaling the approaching end of the sheer cliff.…

By Yuval Ben-Ami February 10, 2016

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“Palestine” (1889) by Conder, C. R. (Claude Reignier)

Lebanons, part 4: The Wind

Yuval Ben-Ami’s new project is an anti-travelogue: an exploration of places unvisited. (Click here for more.) The three cages: my large one and the two small ones, remained clumsily interconnected. Then Israel withdrew its settlements from the Gaza Strip, and Hamas took over. The siege began, trapping 1.7 million souls in a territory one-tenth the size of Rhode…

By Yuval Ben-Ami February 5, 2016

Australia is vast. Map by Aaron Arrowsmith, dated 1817.

Lebanons, part 3: The Gorge

Yuval Ben-Ami’s new project is an anti-travelogue: an exploration of places unvisited. (Click here for more.) The next place on the map that had a name was “Schwarzwaldalp”. I headed for it in the cool morning, winding downhill into a small valley. The pastures were dark green, the cows cute. The clouds were low, obscuring how tall the…

By Yuval Ben-Ami January 22, 2016

Lebanons, part 2: The Town

Yuval Ben-Ami’s new project is an anti-travelogue: an exploration of places unvisited. (Click here for more.) I walked in beauty. I walked in fire. Early morning matured into fully boiling day just as the trail led me from shady forest into pastures. Above me soared rocks in outlandish angles that seemed carefully measured so as not to shield…

By Yuval Ben-Ami January 15, 2016

A 17th century map of Paris.

Lebanons, part 1: The Theft

Yuval Ben-Ami’s new project is an anti-travelogue: an exploration of places unvisited. (Click here for more). I was in Paris and it was hell. A heatwave beat down on the gray town, chasing people out through windows of old maid chambers. They perched in the evenings on roofs, Gothic spires in view, to sip wine…

By Yuval Ben-Ami January 8, 2016