Jordan - Part II

The valley and mountains of Petra

We got to Petra Thursday afternoon. It was about a three and half hour car ride from the Dead Sea Hilton. Petra has a completely different feel from the Dead Sea. The Marriott here is quiet and subdued; the rooms and terraces look out over the valley and mountains. I'm liking the temperature here in Petra much more and I really like the relaxed atmosphere. Here in Petra it's not as hot as the Dead Sea and definitely not as hot as the east desert, but it's still warm and dry and the nights are cool and lovely. 

Yesterday, we strolled around the archeological ruins of the ancient sandstone city of Petra. Actually it was much more than a stroll. We walked about 6 miles and only covered a fraction of the site. If you haven't seen pictures of this place before, it's amazing. The entire city is carved out of stone. It was built by a nomadic desert people, the Nabataeans, and it dates back to at least the 4th century BCE. The city  began to flourish in the 1st century BCE as it became a hub for caravan trade routes. At its height, the city had a population of nearly 20,000. In the first century BC, Petra became an independent state within the Roman Empire and, in 106 AD, it lost all of its independence to Rome. (I spent a lot of time tripping over the now uneven paving stones that the Roman's left -- they really liked to lay roads). A major earthquake in 363 AD destroyed much of the city and it slowly declined in influence and was eventually abandoned.

To get to the city, you walk about a kilometer and half down a pathway/gorge called the Siq. The Siq narrowly cuts through the sandstone rocks and you eventually emerge at the focal point of the city: the Treasury building.

The Siq

You emerge from the Siq and there's the Treasury. Wow!

The hub of the action in front of the Treasury

Walking the dusty path through the city

The most important temple in Petra: Qasr al-Bint

The photographer

Afternoon -- heading back

Jordan - Part I

Before we head back to Ronciglione in October, we are doing some more traveling-- this time to Jordan and Turkey. 

Sunset over the Dead Sea

We've been in Jordan for almost five days now, and we've already seen some amazing things. As I write this from the balcony of our hotel room, I'm looking over the water of the Dead Sea to Palestine, which can't be more than 10 kilometers away. The city of Jericho is a cluster of lights to the northwest, maybe 25 kilometers from here. The baptismal site for Jesus is about 20 km from where I'm sitting right now, and a few days ago, on our way to the eastern desert, we drove through Mount Nebo where Moses saw the Promised Land. Jerusalem is less than two hours from here. I'm still digesting how much there is here and how close everything is. And how old everything is. Jericho is the oldest city in the world and settlements around Jerash go back to 7500 BCE. 

We arrived in Amman Saturday evening. Our driver met us at the airport and we headed to the Dead Sea Hilton, about an hour away. We got in around 9:30p, got some food and drink and headed off to bed. On our second day we hired another driver and he drove us east toward Azraq see some of the famed desert castles of the 7th - 8th century Umayyad Caliphate. These castles are in the middle of empty, hot, dry stretches of desert. They were used variously as inns, hunting lodges for the elite, and fortifications. We visited three: Qasr Al-Kharanah, Qasr Amra, and and Qasr Azraq (the last made famous by Lawrence of Arabia).

Qasr Al-Kharanah

Qasr Amra

Qasr Azraq

After a day of rest, we headed north to Jerash to see the amazingly intact Greco-Roman ruins of the old city. Alexander the Great began the building, but it was followed up by the Romans, especially during the time of the Emperor Hadrian. Although the city was destroyed in 749 AD, it is still one of the best preserved ancient Roman cities in the Middle East. We spent two hours wandering through the maze of ruins. 

Cardio Maximus - the main street through town

The Oval Plaza

Hadrian's Arch

On our last day here at the Dead Sea, we ventured into the actual sea and indulged in mud baths, salt scrubs and lots of not-very-graceful floating. You don't want to get any of the sea water in your eyes (it burns like mad) or in your mouth (it is so salty it burns and doesn't taste like salt at all). 

A mud and sea salt scrub

That is: -401 meters, or more than 1300 ft below sea level. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth.

Next post from Petra 😊

Ronciglione update

 Lisa has been delinquent on her posting so I’ll do an update on our status.

First, our offer on our home has been accepted and moving into the next phase.  Anything dealing with money or contracts appear to be very complicated but we believe we’ll be in possession in November.  Looking forward to having a home in this beautiful and friendly city. Everyone is invited!

Secondly, the EU is booting us out as our 90 day maximum stay is coming to an end.  The next 6 weeks will be exploring Jordan and Turkey before returning back to Ronciglione.  We plan on returning to the States mid December until mid March so I can see my grandson expected on March 3 😀. We then will return to Italy hopefully with a one year visa in hand.

Here’s a few photos including our new home complete with an olive and lemon tree and a rare garden: