Jordan miscellany

There is a lot to see in Jordan. To try to do the country justice, I've decided to gather together some more or less random pictures and impressions of the country.
The 1st picture is of the River Jabbok. This river is where scripture tells us Jacob went to meet his brother Esau after their long separation. In fact, I was told that this is the very place.
The 2nd picture looks at the Jordanian landscape. Of note here is the road way down below. It is the road we were traveling. It is also the King's Highway. This is s major trade route from western Arabia through the middle east to Damascus and beyond. This is the route controlled by the Nabataeans with their capital in Petra (see other posts).
The 3rd picture is in a mosaic workshop. The artists here are all disabled in various ways. Their work is exquisite.
The 4th picture is in a church in Madaba. The picture is a floor mosaic map of the middle east, showing all the important cities of the region. The church was built around the mosaic; even columns were sited where the the original tesserae are missing.
The 5th picture is a wood fired bread oven. Look closely and you'll see that the bread dough is stretched like pizza dough and then placed directly on the superheated stones that make up the floor of the oven. Really good bread baked in a way that is new to me.
Last but not least is a Thanksgiving turkey dinner prepared using Jordanian cooking and spices. It was outstanding and a real treat to celebrate the holiday in a new and cosmopolitan way. Right up my alley.Read more