Sunday
Two weeks after Burma and freshly recovered from jet lag, it’s time for me to head to a new vacation. I have a very good reason to be on vacation again and an even better one to go to Jordan. First, I’ve got a bunch of days to take before they expire (no carry over…) at the end of June. Why Jordan? Because a very cute brunette is spending a month there to take some advanced Arabic classes and I’ve got to visit here there… a month is an awful lot of days after all ;)
After a shitty stopover in Heathrow, I’m finally about to land in Amman. From high up it’s a patchwork of yellow-brown with very few green spots, leaving a strong feeling of drought. Going through customs takes forever especially since the cute brunette is waiting for me on the other side and I haven’t seen her in a month. It’s a Muslim country so we have to stay extremely decent while in public. We pick up the rental car and are on our way to Amman. Driving in Jordan is challenging; it’s clear you’re in the south from the way they drive here but there’s a strong history of energetic driving in the family (Yes that’s you my Mom, Aunts and Uncles) so I don’t mind it at all.
Monday
During the morning, my personal guide has her Arabic classes so I’m on my own. Amman is a sprawling city with hills everywhere, not unlike Rome. On one of these hills lies the citadel. It’s clearly a strategic point. The ruins, well highlighted by the restoration, give a good idea of what it was before. In the same area, there’s also the ruins of a temple dedicated to Hercules where some of the columns have been put backs straight. From up there, I’ve got a superb plunging view on the very impressive amphitheater that I plan on visiting the next day. The temperature keeps on rising and I head back home to fetch my student.
The plan this afternoon is to drive to Jerash. It’s an ancient roman city an hour north of Amman. There’s also a modern city on the other side of the Wadi with the exact same name of course. The two being apart, they could do a much better job to restore the ancient city and it’s very impressive. The only thing missing is the ancient roman inhabitants because everything else is ready. We get into the city through a majestic door. The city being on a hill, at our back facing the door is the whole valley. Behind the door, there’s a bunch of structures still being restored and to the right the racetrack. It’s 200m long and parts of the tribunes have been restored. We already feel like we’re walking in a movie! We push deeper in the city and reach the oval plaza. It’s huge and all the columns surrounding the plaza are standing, strengthening the feeling of immersion. To our left, on a little hill, there’s a temple and a theater; in front of us the via romana, completely straight (as usual) as far as the eye can see. The temple is half rebuilt but there are still lots of stones available. If you fancy 3D puzzle, apply for a job there. The theater looks even better and they actually use it every summer for concerts. The sound system is being set up as we visit it since the season starts the next weekend for them. We go back down to the oval plaza then head downtown on the main road. We’ll pass by a little plaza surrounded by columns with a fountain in the center, some housing buildings ruins, shops, a huge fountain, a very old tree, another temple, another theater and after a few hours walking in the ruins we finally reach the end of the city… which also has its majestic door. The site is about to close and we turn around and take that same road that countless people took for centuries. Romans constructions were meant to last clearly because some 2 000 years after the road is still usable. True, my guide is complaining that the cobblestones are not assembled perfectly but since the roman administration is not available at this time, she’ll have to live with it ;) On the way out, we’ll hear a bagpipe which is very strange in such scenery… remnants of the British occupation. Before leaving Jerash, we hook up with some local friends of her for a traditional dinner… delicious!