Jordan 2013

Our trip to Jordan came around as a result of being so close to Cyprus so the flights were very cheap and secondly it was a last minute with some spare time.

The accommodation and routes were prearranged with transport included as this was a tour holiday lasting 9 days.

And although in some cases the days were long with an early start and a late finish the experience was well worth it and even now we are still in awe of the sights and history that we experienced.

If you ever get the opportunity to visit Jordan I would say jump at it. A tour is a good way to see a lot.

We had 2 full days in Petra but in all honestly a week would not have been long enough soaking up the history and atmosphere.

Walking down streets and into buildings that people had walked in thousands of years ago is enthralling.

Sitting among the Street of Facades or at the Temples of Petra and Hadrian's Gate is overwhelming as you try to take in the vast ancient city around you.

The general route is shown above right and we also added an extra day in Amman both at the beginning and end of the trip to allow us more time and less rushing around to catch flights etc.

Whilst this blog shows just a few pictures to try and offer a taste of Jordan the photo gallery has many more pictures which I am sure will have you wanting to add Jordan to your Bucket List.

The highlights of the trip were:-

Amman - We explored the 6000 seated Roman Amphitheatre and the Pillars of the Temple of Hercules at The Citadel.

We explored the old town and souk area of Amman the first night we arrived. Angela having never visited an Arabic Country found the stares a little intimidating (she has blonde hair) and the lack of females on the streets a little strange,

Jerash - exploring the extensive remains of Jordan's best preserved Greco Roman city. The temples of Artemis and the Oval Forum were absolutely stunning.

Madaba - St George’s Church, seeing the ancient mosaic map of the Holy Land from approx AD 527-565

Crusader Castles - searching into the history and fortifications of the imposing Kerak and Shobak castles. We have all watched the Crusades movies when younger and dreamt of being knights and Richard the Lionheart so the opportunity to explore their castles was something not to be missed. The drive along the Kings Highway and the views across rugged desert landscapes were great.

Petra - Discovering the famous Nabatean Kingdom from 600BC also known as ‘Rose Red City’ we had two full days (which were not enough) to explore the extensive sights and history, exploring in the buildings carved out of the sand stone and walking Roman Streets.

Wadi Rum - We camped overnight in the Rocky outcrops and canyons of the desert that inspired Lawrence of Arabia.

The moonlight at night makes the Wadi look almost Alien and the night sky is mesmerising.

Dead Sea - We got float in the saline waters at the lowest point on earth and smothered ourselves in the mud that is supposed to be good for its nutrients.

Mount Nebo and views of the Promised Land as shown to Moses.