After many years considering this journey, we spent the past week in the Kingdom of Jordan. Although we knew that we would enjoy it, we never anticipated how much. Steeped in rich histories and cultures including Greek, Roman, Egyptian and of course stories straight out of the Bible, this small country in the Middle East packs a punch for those wishing to step back in time.
One of our favorite days took us to the lost city of Petra hidden deep in the sandstone cliffs of southern Jordan. We spent from 9am until 7pm climbing the steep slopes and numerous steps while exploring every nook and cranny we could find. The icing on the cake came at the end of the day when, thanks to the fact that most visitors left much earlier, we could take pictures of the famous treasury and its narrow canyon approach without anyone blocking the view.
Taking in the biblical sights of the country gave us some of our most awe inspiring moments. As we gazed across the Sea of Galilee towards the town of Nazareth, we couldn’t help but imagine Jesus quieting the storm and walking on water. Looking down from Mount Nebo into the “promised land” as Moses did long ago brought a definite moment of stillness. And who wouldn’t treasure seeing the place where John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. We felt truly moved and blessed to see these sights.
Naturally, we couldn’t visit Jordan without spending a bit of time at the Dead Sea. “Swimming” in the sea offered us such a unique opportunity. As we trudged into the highly dense and exceedingly salty water (over 8 times saltier than the ocean), our flip-flops immediately shot to the surface of the water, our skin felt oddly slimy, and any open wounds pleaded for relief from the searing pain. However, once we let go and relaxed into the idea of “floating”, we found the experience quite comical and the water surprisingly healing.
As we boarded the plane back to London, we both expressed our desire to return to the area in hopes of gaining even more insight into a land full of fantastic cultural and historical heritage.
After many years considering this journey, we spent the past week in the Kingdom of Jordan. Although we knew that we would enjoy it, we never anticipated how much. Steeped in rich histories and cultures including Greek, Roman, Egyptian and of course stories straight out of the Bible, this small country in the Middle East packs a punch for those wishing to step back in time.
One of our favorite days took us to the lost city of Petra hidden deep in the sandstone cliffs of southern Jordan. We spent from 9am until 7pm climbing the steep slopes and numerous steps while exploring every nook and cranny we could find. The icing on the cake came at the end of the day when, thanks to the fact that most visitors left much earlier, we could take pictures of the famous treasury and its narrow canyon approach without anyone blocking the view.
Taking in the biblical sights of the country gave us some of our most awe inspiring moments. As we gazed across the Sea of Galilee towards the town of Nazareth, we couldn’t help but imagine Jesus quieting the storm and walking on water. Looking down from Mount Nebo into the “promised land” as Moses did long ago brought a definite moment of stillness. And who wouldn’t treasure seeing the place where John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. We felt truly moved and blessed to see these sights.
Naturally, we couldn’t visit Jordan without spending a bit of time at the Dead Sea. “Swimming” in the sea offered us such a unique opportunity. As we trudged into the highly dense and exceedingly salty water (over 8 times saltier than the ocean), our flip-flops immediately shot to the surface of the water, our skin felt oddly slimy, and any open wounds pleaded for relief from the searing pain. However, once we let go and relaxed into the idea of “floating”, we found the experience quite comical and the water surprisingly healing.
As we boarded the plane back to London, we both expressed our desire to return to the area in hopes of gaining even more insight into a land full of fantastic cultural and historical heritage.
No comments:
Post a Comment