Ring that bell!

Above the village of Jaj in Lebanon, high on the side of the mountain, a hearty grove of the famous cedars pushes upward among the rocks.


A hiking path leads to a small stone church, empty of furnishings.





A cross and bell tower top the tiny shrine.


At this distant place we came upon two young local hikers who were considering whether they could make the church bell toll. One clearly had some experience with the bell and was eager to show off for his friend and foreign tourists with cameras. I didn't have to understand Arabic to know what he was saying:


Here's how you do it.


You have to pull all the way down.


Then the bell pulls you back up.


It lifts you all the way off your feet! Clang, clang, clang....