Petra-fied

Matt here,

I’ve always wanted to go to Petra. Growing up, I often looked at the mysterious picture of the Treasury my parents had framed on the wall. They walked up to this incredible structure, carved out of solid stone, through a narrow stone canyon, and in a moment of perfect drama, the ancient monument loomed out of the landscape.

Well it was all that and more. I didn’t realise just how vast and sophisticated the Nabatean city of Petra was. 50,000 people lived there, trading with every culture of the Mediterranean world. They had huge ornate temples, ingenious hydraulic systems, and beautiful architecture that combined the Graeco-Roman style with the Oriental style of the Levant. The place is full of mystery - buildings loom around corners, dark doorways denote hidden domains.

I got a bit overexcited and bought two ancient Nabatean coins (from the time of Christ!), and a couple of ammonites for good measure (echoes of boyhood rock collecting).

To reach the breathtaking heights of the region, we rode some very patient donkeys. As we went we saw other donkeys resting inside the ancient Nabatean rooms along the way.

Well the view from the top was incredible. Brutally jagged gorges in stratas of every red, terrifyingly deep and terrifyingly beautiful. In the words of Grace O’Toole, “God is great.” From there we saw the Arabah, the division between Jordan and Israel. We’ll be there soon!...

(addition from Jordan - the person not the country... classic gag...)
After a huge day, we were ecstatic to visit a Turkish bath! Matt didn’t come with us - but it was exactly what we needed after a massive day of walking. Went to bed feeling very blissed outRead more