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Greece, Egypt and Jordan
  • Happy Days Travel
  • Mark Wade
  • Happy Days Travel
  • Mark Wade

Greece, Egypt and Jordan

Our first proper overseas post-pandemic trip! Read more
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  • Greece, Egypt and Jordan

    Kerak Castle

    January 21, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    We arrived at Kerak Castle at around 11.30am and had a guided walk through the site with Sofyan.

    Kerak Castle is one of the largest medieval castles in the Middle East. It was built in 1142 and remained in constant use until 1917.

    In the early years, because of its position east of the Dead Sea, Kerak Castle was able to control bedouin herders as well as the trade routes from Damascus to Egypt and Mecca.

    In 1188, the castle came under the control of the Muslim army who made it their administrative headquarters. A century later, the Mamluk sultan, Baybars, took over. Due to the castle's importance, he maintained a significant military force there which included at least 700 horsemen.

    Kerak Castle remained an important strategic location during the centuries of the Ottoman Empire.

    In 1834, the leaders of the peasants' revolt in Palestine took refuge in Kerak. Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt besieged the castle and destroyed much of its fortifications in the process.

    In 1893, the Ottoman authorities reestablished control over the area by appointing a governor resident in Kerak Castle with a garrison of 1400, including 200 cavalry. He remained in charge until the Ottoman Empire fell.

    Since then, the castle has been the site of extensive archaeological and historical research.

    On December 18, 2016, the castle was the site of a terrorist attack. Fourteen people were killed and 34 were injured, the majority being Jordanian security forces and local civilians. A Canadian tourist was also killed.

    After our tour of the castle, we had lunch in the on-site restaurant. It was a set menu of salads followed by barbecue. It was lovely but there was far too much food!!    Read more

  • Greece, Egypt and Jordan

    A dip in the Dead Sea

    January 21, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    After lunch, we were back on the bus for our visit to the Dead Sea. We went to the Holiday Inn resort on the sea shore. It seemed to go against Intrepid's ethos of supporting local businesses. I can only assume that there isn't a locally-owned resort that could grant us access to the Dead Sea.

    I had a float in the Dead Sea back in 1983 when I was in Israel. On this occasion, I was happy to act as group photographer! I did gave a paddle but the salt really stung my feet and ankles. Some of our group covered themselves in Dead Sea mud after their dip. Mark skipped this pleasure 😂.

    We stayed at the resort until sunset 🌇.

    We then travelled on to Madaba and settled in to our last hotel of our Jordan tour. The usual seven of us had dinner together in a local restaurant and a few drinks purchased from the Hangover Liquor Store 😂.    Read more

  • Greece, Egypt and Jordan

    A mosaic workshop in Madaba

    January 22, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    We left the hotel at 8am after an OK buffet breakfast. Our first stop was just 10 minutes up the road at a mosaic workshop where disabled people are trained in producing beautiful pieces of art. They use the same technique I learned in Amman except they use a flour and water glue instead of PVA. Laura hadn't seen it before and was keen to have a go. We enquired about classes for our free day tomorrow. They said we could just turn up!

    Several members of our group bought gifts to take home. We just took photos 📸 😀    Read more

  • Greece, Egypt and Jordan

    The Memorial Church of Moses, Mount Nebo

    January 22, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    From the mosaic workshop, we drove to Mount Nebo, an elevated ridge approximately 710 metres above sea level which is mentioned in the Bible as the place where Moses was granted a view of the Promised Land before his death. The view from the summit provides a panorama of the West Bank across the Jordan River valley. The city of Jericho is usually visible from the summit, and on a very clear day you can even see Jerusalem. It wasn't that clear today 😂.

    Although the Bible tells us that Moses' burial place is unknown, a monument on top of Mount Nebo commemorates his death. There is also a serpentine cross sculpture created by Italian artist Giovanni Fantoni. It is symbolic of the miracle of the bronze serpent invoked by Moses in the wilderness and the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.

    There has been a church ⛪ on Mount Nebo since the 4th century AD. It was modified and extended over the years before falling into disrepair. The ruins, complete with exquisite mosaic floors, were discovered in 1933. Their restoration was hampered by war and inertia. However, the important work finally went ahead and a complete new basilica was built over the ancient church between December 2007 and the reopening day on 15 October 2016.

    Today, for most visitors, the mosaics are the main attraction on Mount Nebo although it does remain a place of religious pilgrimage for many.    Read more

  • Greece, Egypt and Jordan

    A visit to Jerash

    January 22, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    From Mount Nebo, we drove on through the outskirts of Amman to Jerash. We stopped at a bakery en route to buy delicious pastries for lunch.

    Jerash is considered one of the largest and most well-preserved sites of Greek and Roman architecture in the world outside Italy. It is certainly impressive. We spent several hours exploring the site, firstly on a guided walk with Sofyan, and later on our own.

    There are two well-preserved theatres on the site, as well as spectacular colonaded streets and a huge oval forum.    Read more

  • Greece, Egypt and Jordan

    The end of our Intrepid Jordan trip

    January 22, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    After our visit to Jerash, we drove back to our hotel 🏨 in Madaba. It was time to say goodbye to Sofyan and our driver. It had been a really enjoyable tour.

    Later, the seven of us played cards over a few drinks in the hotel bar and then went to Adonis for a final group dinner. It was a restaurant Sofyan had recommended. The food was excellent and a good evening was had by all 😀Read more

  • Greece, Egypt and Jordan

    St. George's Church, Madaba

    January 23, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    The seven of us had a last breakfast together this morning. Molly, Selim, and Sam were all starting their journeys back to Australia today so we said our goodbyes.

    Laura, Matt, Mark and I went out to explore Madaba. Our first stop was St. George's Greek Orthodox Church, home to the Madaba Mosaic Map. This map was part of the floor mosaic in the early Byzantine church which stood on the site. It shows part of the Middle East and contains the oldest surviving original cartographic depiction of the Holy Land and Jerusalem. It dates to the sixth century AD.

    In 746, Madaba was largely destroyed by an earthquake and subsequently abandoned. The mosaic wasn't rediscovered until 1884, during the construction of a new church on the site of its ancient predecessor.

    Today, for the princely sum of 1 JOD each, visitors can enjoy the spectacular map mosaic, as well as many others decorating the walls. It was well worth a visit and we all felt it should have been included on our tour.    Read more

  • Greece, Egypt and Jordan

    The Shrine of St John the Baptist

    January 23, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    From St. George's Church, we walked up to the Shrine of the Beheading of John the Baptist which we had spotted on our way to the restaurant last night. What an interesting place! As well as the church itself, we were able to explore the tunnels and caves underneath it and climb to the top of the belltower for amazing views of the city of Madaba. There was also an on-site museum with lots of photos of miserable-looking children 'rescued' by Catholic priests and nuns in the early years of the 20th century. Great value at just 1 JOD for a ticket.Read more

  • Greece, Egypt and Jordan

    Another city, another mosaic class

    January 23, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    After our visit to John the Baptist's shrine, Laura and I went to do a mosaic class just up the road. This was in preference to the out of town place we went to yesterday. Laura had never done it before and, even though I had, it was interesting because it was a different technique to the one Mohammed taught me in Amman.

    We could do whatever design we wanted. Laura chose to write the word 'love' in Arabic. I did another geometric pattern, similar to the one I did before.

    This time, we used a cement made up of 2 parts sand and one part silica. We put a thick layer of this in the frame and then pushed the tiles in it to create the design. When we finished, we levelled it off to give s smooth finish.

    Overall, I think I prefer the technique I learned with Mohammed.

    After the class, we went our separate ways. We spent the rest of the afternoon editing photos 📸 and posting. Later, we went down the road for a bite to eat.    Read more

  • Greece, Egypt and Jordan

    Flight from Amman to Aqaba

    January 24, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    We said our goodbyes to Laura and Matt last night as they were leaving early this morning. We had a leisurely breakfast and then got a taxi to the airport for our 11.30am flight to Aqaba. Madaba is actually closer to Amman airport than Amman itself so it only took us 20 minutes to get there. We had both really enjoyed our time in Madaba - the city has a lovely feel to it.

    The Royal Jordanian flight ✈ was quick and efficient. In a first for us, they served us a snack (2 doughnuts and a chocolate milk) while we were still on the ground in Amman!

    When we landed in Aqaba, we took a taxi to our hotel 🏨 - the Baity Boutique Hotel. Despite being a few hours early, our room was ready so we settled in and then walked down into town to explore.

    We walked along the front and took some photos 📸 of the beach and the glass-bottomed boats 🚢 plying their trade. Later, we stopped for something to eat and another lemon 🍋 mint! 😀    Read more

  • Greece, Egypt and Jordan

    A walk to the harbour

    January 25, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Breakfast in the hotel was very good!

    Later, on another gloriously sunny day, we walked down to the beach ⛱ and continued to the harbour where there was a fleet of small fishing boats as well as more glass-bottomed tourist boats. There's a lot of building work going on along the seafront. The place will definitely look completely different in a few years' time!Read more

  • Greece, Egypt and Jordan

    Lunch at the Rovers

    January 25, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    From the harbour, we walked back up to the town centre and went to the Suzanna Bar for a drink. This us where we had lunch when we came to Aqaba last week with the group. It was very pleasant sitting in the sun by the pool. We were the only customers!

    When we were hungry, we decided to move next door - to the Rovers Return! It wouldn't be our normal choice when we're travelling, but five weeks in, a bit of non-Jordanian food just hit the spot! We drew the line at ordering Betty's Hotpot, though!! 😂

    After lunch, we wandered back to the hotel and enjoyed a couple of drinks on the roof.    Read more

  • Greece, Egypt and Jordan

    A relaxing day on the roof

    January 26, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We spent today up on the roof enjoying the sunshine 🌞. Mark was listening to podcasts and I was reading 📚 'Married to a Bedouin' by Marguerite van Geldermalsen. This is the fascinating account of a New Zealand born nurse of Dutch descent who fell in love with and married Mohammed, a Bedouin from Petra. It was a really enjoyable read, especially as I could relate to all the places having so recently visited the place.Read more

  • Greece, Egypt and Jordan

    Food tour in Aqaba

    January 26, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We booked a food tour of Aqaba through Guru Walks🚶‍♀️. Our guide was Mohammed and the meeting place was outside McDonald's! There were four others on the tour - a German couple, an Austrian guy, and a Canadian man.

    The tour began with a visit to the market where the locals shop. We visited a bakery which brought back memories of my time in Israel working as the supervisor of the pitta bread line! This was on a much smaller scale, of course! We tasted bread and baklava.

    Our next stop was the shop next door - a typical local grocery store where we tried delicious cheeses, zataar, and olives 🫒 . We particularly liked a tangy, salty goats cheese formed into balls and preserved in extra virgin olive 🫒 oil. It was amazing!!

    From there, we stopped at a Friday night market promoting traditional goods and music from Wadi Rum. I have to say the music 🎶 was terrible! It was too loud and completely out of tune!! The thin Bedouin bread we tried was excellent, though!

    We then went to a falafel stall for the ubiquitous falafel sandwich. Our last stop was for a traditional coconut 🥥 pastry dessert baked in condensed milk! Not really to either of our taste - and we had to wear a rubber glove to eat it!! 😂

    It wasn't the best food tour we'd ever done, but we enjoyed it. Mohammed was tired after travelling to Amman and back before meeting up with us. There were lots of times when we were just waiting for the next thing to happen. I definitely think there was room for improvement! The tour was run on a 'pay what you think it's worth' basis so we paid 20 JOD (about £25) for the two of us.    Read more

  • Greece, Egypt and Jordan

    Heading back to Blighty

    January 28, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We spent the entire day in the hotel yesterday. It was very hot 🔥 with not much breeze. We sat up on the roof in the morning. As usual, Mark was listening to podcasts and I was reading 📚.

    I think I must have overheated because I really didn't feel too well. We had intended going down into town for lunch, but decided to eat in the hotel 🏨 instead.

    We spent the evening looking forward to our next trips!! 😀

    Today is Isabel's 18th birthday 🎂! Where did all those years go? We messaged her this morning and transferred Auntie Margaret's money into her account.

    Our flight wasn't until 6.25pm this afternoon so we had a leisurely breakfast and got packed. We then went and sat in the lobby for a while, had a tuna sandwich 🥪 for lunch, and then ordered a taxi to get us to the airport. There really isn't much at Aqaba airport, but we read and listened to podcasts until our flight was called.    Read more

  • Greece, Egypt and Jordan

    Sunset in the air

    January 28, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Our flight from Aqaba to Gatwick was very smooth and quicker than scheduled. The added bonus was a beautiful sunset 🌇 as we left Jordan.

    I finished my latest book on the flight - the story of three women who helped in refugee camps in Germany in the aftermath of World War II.

    Once we landed, we got our bags and were in the Premier Inn North Terminal within 30 minutes. We had a nightcap in the bar and turned it in. We were still on Jordan time so it was 1.30 am!!    Read more

  • Greece, Egypt and Jordan

    Train back to Skegness

    January 30, 2023 in England

    We spent yesterday at the Premier Inn, Gatwick north. We booked 2 nights there rather than travel by train on a disrupted Sunday. We went over to the airport a couple of times, first to buy a bag 🎒 like mine for Mark (the rucksack has been too troublesome on this trip), and then to have lunch in Spoons!

    This morning, we had a second Premier Inn breakfast and then caught the train 🚆 back to Skegvegas with changes in London and Grantham. Then it was a taxi back to the storage facility to pick Bertha up and go home.

    So, the first trip of 2023 ends but it's only a couple of days until we're London bound! Let the adventures continue! 😀    Read more

    Trip end
    January 30, 2023
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