Jounieh is a seaside resort city on the Lebanese coast north of Beirut. It is particularly well known for its cable car which takes people up the hill to the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in the small village of Harissa.

We stopped off at Jounieh for lunch after having been to Byblos that morning on our tour from Beirut. I was surprised at how dense the urbanisation is all the way up the coast from the capital. But the area felt far more relaxed than Beirut, and it was nice to be able to take pictures unhindered.

Jounieh city, like everywhere I saw in Lebanon, is very densely packed, extending up the mountainside.

Looking back down to Jounieh from the cable car as we ascend the mountain to Harissa. This view reminds me of postcards from the '60s and '70s, which were touched up to make the colours look artificially bright.

The statue of Our Lady of Lebanon, also known as Notre Dame du Liban in French. She has been gazing out across Jounieh Bay since 1908.

The Maronite Cathedral of St Paul stands on the hilltop next to Our Lady of Lebanon, in its stark modern style.

The view from Harissa back down to Jounieh Bay, the Lebanese Riviera and Byblos in the far distance.

Close-up of Our Lady of Lebanon, with the midday moon sitting beside her.