It was almost hard to leave the hotel in the morning but hearing that we were going to the Citadel and the ruined Temple of Hercules made the scrambled eggs and beef bacon seem like a tasty memory of yesterday.

Yet again our old friend the boiling sun was the first one waiting for us out the door wanting to greet us with its toasty heat but luckily the cool air of the bus saved us for the drive up. Stepping outside it felt great to walk on solid stone (rather than shifting sands) as we rushed out of the bus to the first sight, the time lines of the citadel.

Omar started us off slow, taking us up the path and detailing each significant ruin such as the water systems

and the theater far off in the distance. But almost no sight could match the view of the whole city and the large flag waving in the distance.  There seems to be a competition in Arab countries to see who can fly the bigger flag.

As we traverse the hot and solid dirt we were taken to an ancient church that stood inside the mighty Citadel and just across a ruined mosque.

It was wondrous to see our magnificent hotel off in the distance along with some unique living statues. We quickly rushed back onto the bus for the sweet, cooling air conditioning and excitement for our next stop Mount Nebo

Arriving at a perfect time with little traffic we embraced the breezy mountain air. First sight was the memorial to Moses and the breath stealing landscape out to the holy land.

Off in the distance we could spot the Dead Sea and very far off in the distance the much anticipated city of Jerusalem. Inside the church we all gazed in science at the expertly crafted mosaics lacing the floors and walls. The alter made you wish you could stay and listen to someone speak and hear their voice be powerfully amplified by the church and its seemingly humble design.

Afterwards we stopped for lunch at a restaurant with another great view of the plains and deserts of Jordan.

Unfortunately the last stop was the Greek orthodox church Madaba where after a brief history and wonderful explanation of the sight we were about to whiteness and none of the fallowing disappointed.  The sight of mosaic depicting Jerusalem and all the wonderful work inside the church made the end of our journey seem too soon.

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Of course we couldn’t leave Jordan without a stop at the Mosaic Factory

Today we woke up to the bright hot sun waiting to beat down on our necks as we travel through beautiful and sandy Petra.

Our wonderful guide Omar gave us a helpful reminder “walking into Petra is one thing, but good luck walking out” he was right in multiple senses. The sight of the treasury was unbelievable and seemed like the kind of thing you would see on a movie studio with Harrison Ford cracking a whip left and right.

Now the walk back up from the monastery was a hike that made you want to pay for a camel ride back to the top no matter the price.

After a quick scare of loosing one of our group, a moment of relief and clear ice bottled water we went out for lunch and left for Amman (making a quick stop at Moses springs)

Finally we landed at our hotel at the amazing La royal resting, waiting for another exiting day.