Seen outside the Royal Automobile Museum. The letter on the red block is the letter “m” (mim) in Arabic, but it reminded me of the Philadelphia Phillies logo.
This is a Mercedes race/rally at the museum. I post it out of appreciation for the VHS recorder attached to the front bumper.
Respect for the old school GoPro.
Not a great photo on my part, but this young lady was a delight to share traffic with once we noticed each other.
“Sardine” is an Amman-based street artist who features a lot of paper boats in his work.
One our hosts was performing in a school Spring music concert, so we headed down to the Rainbow Street neighborhood to hear a selection of choral and orchestra pieces performed by students from Grade 1 through high school, as well as some community members.
Wize One seems distressed.
Inside a local bookstore we encountered a camel constructed of book pages, but also resembling one of those giant spits of meat you find in a shawarma shop.
It wasn’t a plethora of piñatas (If you know, you know.) but it was a bevy of baskets.
Their coffee is mid. Wonder how Gen Z feels about that?
We got out of the bubble for a few hours to visit the Roman Theatre as well as Citadel Hill, an archaeological site where you can find the remains of (amongst other things) a mosque, a Byzantine church, and a temple to Hercules. Which gives you a sense of why it is considered one of the oldest continually inhabited spots in history.
Thanks as always for your prayers and messages. Peace.
View from the plaza outside the main theatre.
The view from the stage.
The view from the cheap seats. Steps were small, steep, and did not come with the benefit of hand rails.
With Downtown Amman in the distance.
There’s also a cabaret space next door.
The cheap seats in this space don’t induce the same vertigo as the main theatre.
Always fascinated by mural art.
The ruins at the Temple of Hercules on Citadel Hill.
The view from Citadel Hill, giving some sense of the enormity of Downtown Amman.
Making friends.
Always making friends.
At Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Amman. Jesus was a redhead. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
We got out of our host’s apartment for a few hours to check out Amman’s nearby City Mall, and pick up some provisions for the coming days. The mall includes a HyperMax, which is said to be the largest retail store in the country. Think Costco or Sam’s Club, but with two floors instead of one. Since it’s Ramadan, the stores closed between 6:00-7:30pm while people broke fast. And while Riley wanted to check out the Jingo Jungle (a cross between Chuck E Cheese and Sky Zone) and the laser tag place, that will have to wait for another day. Something I don’t think I’d seen before was a floor specifically designated for services–mostly financial and cellular–rather than finding them mixed in with other retailers.
Anyhoo, we are staying safe, getting to know our colleagues more, and introducing kids to such classic movies as “Robin Hood: Men In Tights”. Thanks for your continued thoughts, prayers and check-ins.
Looks like someone lost their TGIF brand license. Good thing “Friday” isn’t copyrighted. Or is it…?
On the one had, Krispy Kreme was not on my “Things found in a mall in Jordan” bingo card. On the other, there is a strong donuts/sweets culture in the region, so we shouldn’t be surprised.
They see me rollin’ They hatin’
Practically impractical? Discuss.
Awww. You shouldn’t have.
As a former advertising copywriter, I remain fascinated by naming conventions and choices. I read one speculation that “Pull & Bear” is misappropriated English slang for “tug of war”. (The company that owns the chain in Spanish.) Another said it was a variation on prêt-à-porter. [shrug]
Another local example of not having the naming rights but still feeling free to use the style guide.
Given the current uncertainty in the region, we have relocated to Jordan and are staying with our very gracious and generous colleagues Jen and Mark, while we assess current events and next steps. The day started at 5:00am and included a super long line of vehicles at the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge crossing. But, we – and that includes our cats – made it Amman by 2:30pm and are letting folks know that we have arrived safely and are settled in. We continue to prayer for peace and the safety of our friends, colleagues and acquaintances, and are grateful to you all for checking in on us throughout this stressful time.
As is the tradition on Shrove Tuesday, we prepared for the start of the Lenten season by hosting a pancake dinner at church. We are immensely grateful to those who shared the meal with us (28 in all, including the Lohr Sapps), and to our colleagues Olivia and Nik for all their help with prep and cleanup.
Cookin’.
One broken burner didn’t stop the crew from churning out the goodies.
Toppings included strawberries, bananas, shredded halva, various nut modalities, whipped cream, and chocolate chips.
‘Um…where’s my plate?’
‘Well, friend. Sadie left her plate unguarded. Just sayin’…’
Christy and I are always on the lookout for religious artwork. It can be more traditional in approach, such as the painting we bought of St. Paul’s Reformed Church in Newton. But it can also be things that bring joy in their own quirky way, like this little gem that we found at a gift shop near the Mount of Temptation.
There’s plenty going on. The font choice and design wouldn’t be out of place on a 1960s San Francisco concert poster, while “The Liberator” gives hints at a 1970s action flick. Jesus seems to be sporting a 1980s mullet, though I don’t think there’s enough on top to qualify. And if he shaved, he’d up his rizz quotient with that jawline.
Because the kids get Friday off from school but do have it on Saturday, we left after school on Thursday and did an overnight trip to Jericho. Jericho calls itself “The Oldest City in the World”–an argument it can take up with Damascus, Syria at its leisure.
In Jericho one can visit the Mount of Temptation, where tradition has it that Jesus Christ fasted for 40 days while the Devil sat next him, one finger millimeters from Jesus’s face, saying ‘I’m not tempting you. I’m not tempting you. I’m not tempting you.’
Just down the road from Jericho is the Dead Sea, or “The Lowest Point On Earth”. Since we didn’t pack any swimwear, we didn’t try out the sea’s famed floatation possibilities, or its mineral-based therapeutic properties. Next time…
We stayed at the Auberg Inn (“The House of the Eggplants”) in Jericho. We’d say it was more hostel than inn…but, so it goes.
The backyard garden at Auberg Inn. No eggplants in sight, sadly.
Some artwork in the common room.
So…it’s a…cabinet AND a hiding spot?
If you zoom in you can see the sparkle stick the woman is holding in honor of her birthday.
Build into the cliffside at the Mount of Temptation is a Greek Orthodox monastery. The current monestary was built in 1895. Tradition has it that it is built on the spot where Jesus Christ was tempted by the Devil.
Closer view of the monastery.
It us.
View of the cable cars that take you to and from the Mount of Temptation. We rode them back, having walked up earlier.
Things slowed down a bit after the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Which allowed Christy’s colleague Marc (originally from Aberdeen, Scotland) to host a belated Robbert Burns Night. He had an array of Scottish Gin and Scotch Whiskeys, as well as some helpful literature on their regional roots. He also had several Burns poems in Scots, Swedish, German and Arabic.
The following morning, Christy’s church was graced by a contingent of Norwegian students (and their chaperones) who are traveling through Jordan and the Holy Land as part of their school’s mission to be better global citizens.
“Freedom and whisky gang thegither” – Robert Burns
“Gie me ae spark o’ nature’s fire / That’s a’ the learning I desire.” – Robert Burns
Sadie getting pronunciation pointers from Marc as she reads Burns’ “To a Mouse”, from which the phrase “the best laid schemes o’ Mice and Men” came into the cultural parlance.
Christy preaching to the congregation and Norwegian guests.
The students singing a hymn at the end of the worship service.
A popular Norwegian proverb is Ut på tur, aldri sur!, which translates as “Out on a trip, never sulky!” This is generally understood to relate to a cultural love of the outdoors, but it was also applicable to the groups openness to travel and being in new cultural contexts.
Sappostolic 