Sightseeing in Amman - the Roman theatres

My sister, her daughter, and I followed our plan and almost left the house on time! We ran 1 errand (moms always have errands to run, don't they?) and then headed to downtown Amman to the Roman theatre there. We didn't go on a guided tour, so if you'd like more information, please go to http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/jordan/amman/th01.html/amman/th01.html. You can get lots of great info there and better pictures than I have. I had a slight camera snafu, but I have some pictures.

Picture above: To the right is a nice, hilly park filled with trees, tables and chairs for people to enjoy. It must be filled to overflowing during the cool evenings. (Sorry, no pics.) The entrances to the large and small theatres are to the left of the wall you can see in the far left.

The left side of the ruins hosts the smaller amphitheatre (next 3 pics). This theatre was built by the Romans in the late 2nd century AD. The lower seats of this monument, which could accommodate up to 500 spectators, have been restored and it is used occasionally for concerts.

I enjoyed this little amphitheatre as much as the large one. Both were very neat! As to the camera snafu, I thought I'd taken quiet a few more pics on my digital camera than I did, so you just don't get too many pics! Better luck on my next outing.

We're pretty sure that the large theatre (pictured below) was built during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (169-177 AD). The large and steeply raked theatre could seat about 6,000 people. It is built into the hillside, and oriented north to keep the sun off the spectators. It was amazing being in such an amazing ruin. It is so acoustically sound that if you stand in the centre of the front area and speak in a normal voice, you can be heard all the way to the top of the theatre!

The left-most picture is the colonade that was (and partly still is) in front of the large amphitheatre. The other 2 pics are of the theatre itself. The middle one is just one side of the theatre. I couldn't get the whole thing in my camera frame!

We were very bad girls and forgot both sunscreen and hats, so we're both a little pink in the face, but we're all right. We were HOT, but had a good time! I'll post about the citadel/palace tomorrow. Time for bed!

Philosophy

So, I've been planning this trip for how long? Saved the money, bought the gifts, planned my ticket and time of travel to be just perfect for my sister's family. A couple of days before I left I got a cold and was so thankful to God that I felt good for travel and my first week here. That pesky cold has resurfaced complete with fever, sore throat, etc.

I'll throw this out into the void. Do I believe God is sovereign or not? Do I believe He orders all things? I do. So I can either be irritated that I'm sick, or I can rest in Him, believing that He knew I would be sick while I was here. (This is a personal lesson I've just recently been learning in a new way.) I will literally rest and do even less sightseeing that I'd thought and try to get better. I need to be well, you see, because in the upcoming days we have 2 very important events - one primarily for me, and one for the kids.

Thursday evening we leave to go to Wadi Rum, a beautiful part of the desert, filled with empty riverbeds, cliffs that seem to rise out of nowhere and rock formations of beautiful colors. I'm very excited! We will go camp there for one night and do the Bedouin thing - at least a tiny taste of it.

A few days after that we're going to the Dead Sea Spa Hotel where the kids love to go!! That day will be all about swimming pools, silly slides, and playing with the kids. This is one of their favorite outings. We'll have a blast. Anywhoo, I'd better rest in my heart and in my body to save up for these two events. I know they'll be extra special if I feel good.

We need to go to the grocery store, though, so we'll at least do that today and maybe the downtown fortress ruins. I'm actually excited about both! I'll get back in bed while my sister takes the kids to school, then be ready to jump up and join the fray as soon as she returns.

More later!

A new week in Jordan

Today was another very quiet day. My brother-in-law was gone today, so my sister and I got the kids ready for school (usually his job). We hung around this morning and just did house stuff. We had a rather hectic afternoon picking-up both boys from school, going out to lunch, running a few errands, and getting home. Maybe it just felt hectic because today's weather was very summery. After days of wanting two layers despite the sun, today was HOT! I wanted to be in short sleeves, but that wouldn't have felt appropriate here in this culture.

For those of you wondering, many women in Amman do not cover their heads. Of course, there is a large percentage who do, but most women wear very modest clothes - long skirts or pants that are not tight around the hips, long shirts with long sleeves. There is a particular portion of the population who feels comfortable in just about anything, but they are the exception.

In order to fit in culturally (as much as is possible for this gringo), I've chosen to dress as my sister does - the long skirts or pants and long shirts. In the house I can wear whatever I want, so I brought a couple of pairs of capris with me, too.

Tomorrow my sister and I actually have a PLAN to get out of the house and see a sight or two. I'll make sure to take pictures and get those loaded for all my friends reading along. I've learned a few phrases, some more helpful than others. I can say, "cheese with cumin," (learned that in the store yesterday), "I don't speak Arabic yet," (although my pronounciation must be terrible because no one understands me), and the usual "thank you" and "excuse me." My sister is a patient teacher, but I'll be heading home long before I begin to master even one sentence!

More tomorrow! C

Quiet day

Not much to report from Amman! We had a very quiet Sunday. We all slept in a little bit (me most of all!) and had a big waffle breakfast. My sister has this great waffle mix recipe that she got from the More With Less cookbook - wonderful and healthy! I use it at home myself. ;-) After that we read books to each other. Joshua is reading through the Little House books and is enjoying them immensely. We also played Little People, had a picnic lunch outside in the yard, did a little laundry, watched a video, and just chilled. Quiet, lovely, relaxing! Tomorrow we'll probably get out a little more. This trip is turning out to be exactly what I wanted - mostly family with a little tourist stuff. Might not be as exciting for all of you, but I'm loving it!

I do miss my hubby and kitties, but my sister's family has 2 cats who are getting extra love from me. Sis' and I have had some great conversations about life, husbands, etc. I know those will continue. It just isn't the same over the phone, is it? This is a treasured time and it will be so hard to go. I love her and miss her so much!

Downtown Amman

My sister, Hannah and I took our first trip to downtown Amman. It was a very cloudy day, dust clouds. If it was just regular clouds, it would have cleared off by noon. As it is, even mid-afternoon the sky is overcast with a yellow hue. This is "dust season" says my sister, but it is also the best time of the year to visit because the weather is so mild (long sleeves all day, sweater at night), and everything is green for a short time.

We ran downtown to exchange money. They have a gentleman who has been doing this for them and their friends for several years. He is trustworthy and meets them in a convenient place. Quite a service! He makes a good living doing this. We drove downtown to a predetermined place. When we saw him approaching, we just pulled over to the side of the road, he walked up to the car window, we exchanged greetings and money. He was wearing a suit, spoke just a tiny bit of English and was very friendly.

Amman is a city originally built on 7 hills - yes, like Rome. Lisa and Dan's area of town isn't as dense as these pictures, but on the outskirts of downtown, the apartments and houses are packed together as you can see here. They've really figured out how to use all their space, even the steep hills.

Downtown Amman felt a lot like the town we grew up in. Seeing all those little shops and alleyways made me want to hop out of the van and go shopping! I'll have to do that another day...maybe when Hannah isn't with us. My sister and I will probably leave Hannah with a sitter for a couple mornings and try to do some powershopping. ;-) Sisters and shopping. Sounds pretty good to me.

My cold has turned into just a tiny, nagging cough, but I'm sure it won't last long. I'm sleeping well and am pretty much adjusted to the time here. I think of all of you very often! Hope you're enjoying this. Write me!