FEBRUARY 18 - MADABA, MT. NEBO AND ON TO PETRA

Today was another jam-packed day in Jordan.  We started out with breakfast in our room today.  

 

We knew that we had another "design your day" available to us with three options.   #1 Enjoy a spa treatment at the Four Seasons Hotel;  #2 a walking tour in the downtown area of Amman; or #3 a visit to the Royal Automobile Museum.  Even before we left on our trip, we had already chosen Option #1 - a massage at the hotel which was absolutely lovely!  

Getting cleaned up, dressed and our bags brought down to the lobby, we checked out of the hotel and headed towards Madaba, about 20 miles southwest of Amman, and, more particularly, St. George's Church, built in 565 AD, and home of the largest mosaic map in the world.  






 

I love Michael's photos of candles which I insist he take whenever possible.  I also take the opportunity to light candles for deceased loved ones whenever I can.  





Our travels by car with Zak enabled us to find out more about the country of Jordan which was formed in 1946.  While there is a "tribal mentality" among the people, the King has been trying to encourage and foster a Jordanian identity.  There is always a delicate balance between a national identity and a tribal identity.  

One of Zak's "pet peeves" (that would probably describe it very mildly) are "speed bumps." Apparently, there are speed bumps everywhere - even in places that don't need speed bumps.  Why?  Because they cost the government $12,000 each even though the actual cost is just a fraction of that price.  Remember when we discovered our own Government Accountability Office was paying loads of money for simple nails?  Same thing.  Some contractors are making tons of money thanks to the corruption in local municipalities.  

There are no "homeless" people in Jordan;  everyone works and if they can't work, family members are obligated to support and care for that person.  Novel idea, huh?  

Time for lunch at the Haret Jdoudna Restaurant.






As you can see, lots of starters with main courses of lamb in sesame sauce (only thing, I believe, we didn't like in all our travels) and chicken in a tomato sauce.  Very nice restaurant and one that First Lady Laura Bush visited when the President and she traveled to Jordan.

Next stop - Mt. Nebo - the place of Moses's death. 


 






 

This was quite a remarkable sculpture that was created to commemorate the visit to Mt. Nebo by Pope John Paul II.  As you approach from this side, there is the profile of Moses.  



 

As you pass it and look back, you see the pages of the Bible.  

Lots of mosaics:  










 

















 

Before we left the Mt. Nebo area for Petra, we stopped at a mosaic workshop to see the talented artisans at work.  They are taught the fine art of mini-mosaics using thousands of pieces of material to create these beautiful works of art. 


 

We're very excited about tomorrow - our day in Petra!  We visited Petra back in 2016 on our world cruise and it became Michael's most favorite place in the world!  When we had the opportunity to add Israel & Jordan to our A&K Egyptian travels, we jumped at the chance to re-visit Petra.  

We arrived at our next hotel, the Movenpick Resort, before dinner and checked-in.  Another 5-star hotel. 




 

Dinner was on our own tonight so we took a walk in the evening and, being Friday, it was, of course, "Pizza Friday" in the Salazar household - even if we were thousands of miles away from home!  We found the "Oriental Restaurant" not far from the hotel and enjoyed our Friday night ritual - in Jordan!  

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day with lots of walking through the incredible ancient city of Petra!  

 

Comments

  1. NOBODYApril 26, 2022 at 6:04 AM

    Incredible places. The hotel looks wonderful--and your food makes me want to try what you were eating, lol!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FEBRUARY 19 - PETRA

Image
When we booked this tour with A&K, there was no hesitation when we had the opportunity to add Jordan and Israel Ancient Wonders to Egypt & the Nile.  After over 500 days of cruising, two world cruises and visiting over 70 countries, Petra was Michael's favorite place.  How could we go all the way to Egypt and not visit Petra again?   We had visited Petra on our 2016 World Cruise and I wrote about that visit in my blog for that trip. I do have to correct some information contained therein.  We were definitely misinformed back in 2016 - the city was NOT carved out of camel bone.  We were told, this time around, that iron chisels were used and hammers.   Regardless, besides the pyramids in Egypt, this is a MOST impressive city and has been named one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.  Again, if anyone has any interest in learning more about this Nabataean wonder, you can always search on the internet.  A great article can be...
Read more

FEBRUARY 15 - SAQQARA

Image
We were very excited about visiting Saqqara , after reading the article, " The Secret Tombs of Saqqara ," in the Smithsonian magazine.  In ancient times, Saqqara was a huge underground cemetery on the west bank of the Nile across from what used to be the capital of Egypt, Memphis.  Some of the tombs located there date back to the 1st Dynasty - 3000 to 2800 BC.  Netflix also had a documentary, "Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb." Absolutely fascinating place.  But, first, breakfast in the Hotel's dining room:   We had been looking forward to our visit to Saqqara because this is where Ahmed said we would comfortably be able to go inside one of the pyramids and we did!         Today, we had a security guard with us.  We're not sure why security is with us on some trips and not others but we were never concerned about our safety.  I felt safer throughout the Middle East than I would be walking in Seattle today.     ...
Read more

FEBRUARY 21 - BETHANY BEYOND THE JORDAN AND THE DEAD SEA

Image
A review of today's itinerary promised to be a very busy and exciting day.   With a meeting time of 9:30 a.m.,  we headed to the Obelisk Restaurant near our room for breakfast.  While perusing all the amazing culinary delights available to us, a young man suggested the milk bread pudding which contained almonds and raisins and called " ummali " that was absolutely delicious.   In the top photo, right in the center (click on the photo to make it larger)  was a unique way to display donuts.  Unfortunately, there were no plain old fashioned donuts that Michael loves.  This morning, we visited Bethany Beyond the Jordan, known as the place of Jesus's Baptism by his cousin, John the Baptist.  "This UNESCO World Heritage Site features Roman and Byzantine remains and is a place of pilgrimage for many." On the road, we learned that more than 40% of the Jordanian people had been vaccinated and 20% received a booster.  Although a peace treaty was reac...
Read more