Jordan

We headed to Jordan just after Christmas, and this time Cory got to go with us! We flew out of Abu Dhabi into Amman. Because of its dependency on tourism, we found all the Jordanians VERY friendly....except for the guy at the visa counter! He could use some classes in manners!

Our first two nights were spent in Amman. The day after we arrived, we drove up to Um Qais, a small city that overlooks the Jordan Valley, the Golan Heights, and the Sea of Galilee (now called Lake Tiberius).

We went to Jerash next, a Greco-Roman site that has been preserved and has to be the most amazing archaeological site we've seen yet!

Our guide there was an archaeologist on the digs and showed us how the columns were balanced to "sway."

Ha-ha! The "band" played Amazing Grace and Yankee Doodle Dandy (when told we were Americans!)

Cory was getting sick, so the hotel sent him up a "get-well" fruit and vegetable tray. This hotel (Amman Mariott) was the BEST for customer service we have ever seen! Each day at breakfast, they brought us containers and told us to load up with snacks for our sight-seeing trips!!

The next day we visited the Citadel, the Roman Theater, and Umayyad Palace.

We also saw the remains of the Temple of Hercules.

We spent that afternoon swimming in the Dead Sea and taking a mud bath.

If you look closely at Heather and Cory, it looks as if they are "sitting" up. The Dead Sea is so salty that it's almost like floating above the water!!

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth and was quite warm! The flowers were beautiful. Here, we're looking across the sea to Jericho.

We packed up the next day and drove to Bethany Beyond the Jordan, where Jesus was baptized. We got to touch the water and look across into Israel, where there was a group singing hymns. It was quite eye-opening to see the difference in the Jordan and the Israel sides. Both sides had armed guards.

We drove down the "King's Way" an ancient route of traders, armies, and pilgrims from centuries ago. We went through the Christian city of Madaba, the "City of Mosaics." Queen Rania has set up the Jordan River Foundation to help support the arts, particularly through the work of women and children. We took a look at some of the mosaics. The work is amazingly intricate and time-consuming. In the picture below, you're looking at the back of the work. When completed, it will be turned over to the smooth side.

We lit candles in the Greek Orthodox church in Madaba.

Then we visited Mt. Nebo. This is where Moses (Deuteronomy 34) climbed the holy mountain at the end of his life to see the promised land.

We arrived at Petra that night, ready for an early morning the next day!

After an early breakfast, we headed to Petra. The first part was a short horse ride.

Then we walked through the "Siq" (long narrow fissure between 2 overhanging cliffs) for that famous first view of the Treasury. (Watch Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail!)

We had all day to explore the Red Rose City. We also hiked up to the Monastery ~ killer view AND killer climb!

And explaining to the little gypsy boy that I don't have any more money to buy postcards.....I spent it all on jewelry--ha-ha!!

Our last night in Petra, there was an amazing sunset: over the mountain it looked just like a volcano!

The next day we took a 4 x 4 ride through Wadi Rum and shared a cup of tea in a traditional Bedouin tent. I'm glad I re-watched Lawrence of Arabia before we came, because some of the views were familiar.

Here, our driver decides to let the car drive itself while he runs behind it.....hmmmmm...

Then we drove to Aqaba, where Jordan, Egypt, and Israel all look across the water. This was our first view from the hotel of the Red Sea, and you can see the view looking across at Egypt.

Cory got to SCUBA, and we got to swim in the Red Sea!

Then, our last day we toured Aqaba--not much to see, but it's a duty-free zone, so our guide thought we would like to buy some things. Then we drove back to Amman to board the plane. I was deathly ill on the way home. First time I've ever had to be sick on an airplane....don't recommend it!! Headed back to school, where I continued to be sick for the next 2 weeks. Just now recovering and doing the blog :)

Cyprus

We got out of school on Thursday, after having NO children all day!! Then, we packed and headed to Cyprus for a week. Cyprus is the 3rd largest island in the Mediterranean and is at the crossroads of 3 continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. Christ's apostles once walked here, and Cyprus was converted to Christianity by the Apostles Paul and Barnabas, starting in 45 AD.

In 1974, there was a military coup in Cyprus, and Turkey occupied the northern part of the island. In 2004, Cyprus became a member of the European Union. Although the northern part is still held by Turkey, negotiations are underway to try to resolve that. We did not travel to the Northern part!!!

We landed in Larnaka and then drove about 2 hours to Paphos. Larnaka is the seat of Christianity from its earliest years. It's the second home of Jesus' friend Lazarus. The Greeks settled the town in the 13th century BC, and the Phoenicians lived there from the 9th century BC. It's also the home of one of Islam's holiest places, the Hala Sultan Tekkesi Mosque, built in 648 AD. It is definitely a mixture of churches, mosques, monasteries. You almost can't turn a corner without seeing one!

The weather in Cyprus has been BEAUTIFUL! We've seen so many gorgeous landscapes. The contrast between the water and the sky has been breath-taking, and the sunsets just get better each day!

One of the funniest things that happened this week was watching Heather try to get in on the wrong side of the car when we went to get it at the car rental agency. She was "elected" to be the first driver, and cheerfully grabbed the keys and then opened the door on the left side of the car....oops!

Not only do they drive on the opposite side of the road here, but the steering wheel is on the RIGHT side of the car! Ha-ha! We had a good belly laugh on that one! The trip to our condo was a bit harrowing, due to the fact that she was a little uneasy about the driving and we had NO navigation system, and could not read any of the road signs.....hmmmmm....but we were told there were only 2 main roads on the island, so we shouldn't have any trouble. Well, we finally found the place--right before dark--thank goodness!

After that, the driving got easier each day. I drove one time, but I got sick right after we got here, and between that and the medication, my brain had a really hard time remembering to stay on the left. After one close call at the grocery store, nobody really asked me to drive again. Kim scared us REALLY bad the first time he drove, but then he got better too.

We've been staying in Paphos, which is on the southwestern part of the island. There are some great sea caves in the area.

There was also a rock memorial on the beach near us. People just write the names of their loved ones who have passed away on rocks and lay them at this memorial.

One day while we were walking there, a donkey came running across the field and "visited" the memorial. Then, some men came running after him, telling us he was dangerous. He started chasing us. Scary! A few days later he bit one woman who was in his way!

We thoroughly enjoyed the food---AND being able to sit outside to eat in the pleasant weather!

One day we went to Lemesos (2nd largest city on the island). It's the main port and the center of Cyprus' wine industry. We toured the Kourion Archaeological site. There is a breathtaking 2nd century BC Greco-Roman theater where they still have performances. Among the other excavations are a private villa and an early Christian basilica from the 5th century AD. There was also a "House of Achilles" and a "House of the Gladiators" which had mosaic floors.

We also toured the Sanctuary of Apollon Ylatis (god of the woodland and protector of Kourion). He was worshipped here from the 8th century BC to 4th century AD. At the ruins we saw Apollo's temple, the palaistra, and a holy precinct. Got one really great shot of the moon through the columns.

We saw the Kourion stadium which is where they say ancient pentathlon events took place.

Paphos was the capital of Cyprus for a long time. It is near Paphos that Aphrodite is said to have risen. There is a medieval Byzantine fort at the port to protect the harbor. This fort was rebuilt by the Ottomans in the 16th century when they conquered the island.

Paphos was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1980, which has helped to protect the remains, but it is amazing that you can walk all over and around the remains.

So many excavations have unearthed beautiful mosaics with the tiniest little squares. The first house to be discovered, the "House of Dionysus" was accidentally discovered by a farmer in 1962.

The "Tombs of the Kings" were carved out of solid rock in 3rd century BC. We walked all through this area, which overlooks the Mediterranean.

Petra Tou Romiou means "the Rock of the Greek." This is where the hero Digenis Akritas is said to have protected the area from Saracen Arabs by heaving a huge rock and tossing it into the sea to prevent them from landing. The rock still remains and is called the "Birthplace of Aphrodite." It is one of the most beautiful coastlines we drove along. Here is a picture looking down on the rock.

After all the gorgeous weather we had for the week, a terrific storm came in on our last day. We enjoyed watching the storm all that day and night out over the water. Then, after it cleared, we went riding along the shore and discovered a ship that had been thrown up on the rocks near us. The waves were still crazy!!

Then, we headed home for Christmas Day! We will head to Jordan next for some more history.....