Jordan - Jerash

Before going to Jordan I had no idea how many Roman ruins there are there. It's astounding to see half a Roman city surrounded by a modern-day one. If you go to Jordan, you really must see Jerash (12 JOD/$16.95). You need at least 3 hours if you plan to take in the gladiator show.

Hadrian's Arch (built 129 AD)

Roman Forum

Roman Forum again with friend for scale

The Forum was seriously massive.

What remains of the never completed Temple to Artemis

Paved, colonnaded street. 

We could still see the grooves from chariot wheels.

Just me, hanging out in the old marketplace. 

We watched the Roman Army and Chariot Experience (12 JOD/$16.95) at the hippodrome.

The legionaries demonstrated Roman fighting techniques which were quite interesting. The chariot race left something to be desired. One of the charioteers couldn't get his horses under control. Both charioteers looked absolutely terrified the entire time; I don't blame them. 

The legionnaire that held my friend's hand.

Jordanians are a really friendly bunch.

Jordan - Amman

Amman is a massive, sprawling city. We stayed in the older part. Older, as in, going back to the time where it was part of the Roman Empire, and even earlier. People are quite conservative in this area. The only people we saw wearing shirts that didn't cover them to the wrist were tourists. Couples should refrain from public displays of affection, including holding hands, as this is not appropriate. Two men, however, may hold hands in public, as it is merely a sign of friendship.

Amman's Roman Amphitheater, as seen from the roof of the Amman Pasha Hotel. 

View of older Amman from the Citadel. 

You can find just about everything in the shops in Amman.

We walked up one of the many big hills behind our hotel and explored the Citadel. It was well worth the 2 JOD/$2.82 entry fee. This place is ancient, possibly being inhabited since the Neolithic period. 

Me, next to part of the Temple of Hercules at the Citadel.

We also explored the Roman Theater. Entry fee was 2 JOD/$2.82. There are two museums on the site, one on the left, the other on the right as you enter the main area of the amphitheater, make sure not to overlook them. The climb up the steps of the theater was quite the workout, and to be honest, a little scary. Some of the steps have been worn down quite a bit. I saw women in high heels climbing the steps; how they managed to not break their necks I have no idea. (The steps on the far left as you climb up appear to have been replaced and are a little safer to climb up/down than the ones in the center.) 

For some reason neither of us took pictures of the amphitheater while we were in it. I blame the cold weather that day (it was only in the low 50s F). 

Victoria and Albert Museum: Part Two

So here are the few of the amazing things I saw when I visited the Victoria and Albert museum in London. Many of the best items were unable to be photographed, so you should definitely make a point to visit in person.


Need some boxes to stash your fine collectables?

I recommend this one. No one is getting inside without permission.

DaVinci's Notebook

Awesome bed. This bed is what is missing in your life.

Everyone needs a giant sorta creepy Jesus screen, right?

This lock is more advanced than most of them I've seen while traveling around the UK. It even tells you how many times it has been opened.

Purple couch, always fashionable.

This is a tile stove for heating your home. Why don't we still have things like this?!

Best. Hat. Ever. Those rings? They're chakrams, aka sharp throwing rings
.

**I should be arriving back in the UK from Jordan this evening. I'll post about that trip later in the week.**

Victoria And Albert Museum: Part One

On my last day in London I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum. I spent six hours there, and still didn't see everything. If you will visit only one museum during your stay in London, this is it. It has everything from art to clothes, beds, iron locks, strongboxes, crosses, Roman fountains, complete rooms that have been disassembled and reassembled in the museum...

Here's a short video of that last item. I could totally live in this museum.

London: Tate Britian

With as many art museums as London has I figured I'd better have a look at one while I was there. Luckily, the Tate Britain was just a couple blocks away. It contains British art from 1500-present day, along with international modern art. I mostly skipped the modern art because I don't really enjoy it, and my feet hurt due to me breaking in new shoes during my visit.

I enjoyed seeing the original paintings of some of my favourite works as well as discovering new-to-me artists.

The Lady of Shalott by John Waterhouse

Mr Heatherley's Holiday: An Incident in Studio Life by Samuel Butler

Holyday by James Tissot

An Iron Forge by Joseph Wright of Derby

Still Life with a Volume of Whither's 'Emblemes' by Edward Collier

The Gleaning Field by Samuel Palmer

Cambridge

The weather in Cambridge has been just lovely these past few weeks compared to what it would have been back in Missouri. It's been so nice that there are flowers blooming everywhere. It seems spring has come early.

 Two views of the River Cam from a footbridge.

Not sure I could live on a canal boat, but the views would be fantastic.

I've never seen so many swans in one place. The river is full of them. 

London: British Museum

I managed to get to the British Museum a little after noon. The website said I'd have until 5:30 PM before it closed. In actuality they start herding people out at 5:10 PM.

I got to see the Rosetta Stone, mummies, massive statues from ancient Egypt, tiny Viking figurines, coins, jewellery, weapons, tools, and even part of a temple that had been disassembled and rebuilt in one of the rooms. 

Even with five hours I still didn't have time to see everything. While I was able to see everything on the lower and ground floors, I only saw half of the upper floor. I would recommend getting to the museum when it opens, leaving for lunch (the cafe prices are outrageous), and returning after lunch. There's no way to see everything and actually read any of the information about any of it in less than a full day. 

I didn't take any pictures while in the British Museum because the lights were very dim and my photos wouldn't have turned out well at all. So here's a picture of the cats I was watching during my stay in London. 

London: Double Check Opening Times

Yesterday I endeavoured to see multiple tourist attractions in London. While I saw them from the outside, I didn't manage to see into any of them because I misread the summer vs winter open times.

Here was the majority of my route. (I forgot to turn on tracking for the first bit where I walked past the MI6 building.)

This is what the other side of the street from MI6 looks like. It's gorgeous! I didn't think the serious-looking men would like me taking photos of the MI6 building. 

A little bit North of MI6 and you can see Big Ben and the London Eye in the distance. 

The London Eye. I previously thought I might skip this, but now having seen it up close I really want to go up for a view of London. 

View of Tower Bridge from London Bridge. The sun set about half an hour before I got there. 

St Paul's Cathedral. I had no idea what it was when I took the photo, but it was so beautiful I was drawn to it. 

Funny restaurant sign: Hummus Bros Give Peas A Chance

Victoria Memorial, it's absolutely massive. Other tourists shown for scale. 

Buckingham Palace and Victoria Memorial. Nearly tourist-free at night. If you want to see the changing of the guard double check the website. They only do it every other day during the winter. 

I had meant to tour the British Museum, but read the opening times incorrectly and arrived just at closing. Ah well, it was a lovely 10-ish mile walk around London on a lovely evening. 

Happy Christmas!

Merry Christmas to my family and friends around the world! I love you and miss you.

Fantastically Festive Music

Ilkley is really lovely at Christmastime.

Dog-Sitting in Ilkley

I'm finally in England. The people are polite, but not overly friendly. At least it's pretty here, and the pets I'm caring for are well-behaved.

This is Tiny

That's what he does 80% of the day. He's pretty much the best dog, ever. Except that he totally judges me if I try to stay up past 11 at night. He harumphs at me until I head to bed.

This is what our walks normally look like.

A pretty park.

Look! A dog not pulling on his lead! What a sweetie.

Cool footbridge over the river.

The river is up a bit from all the rain.

Yesterday's Morning Walk

The fog actually made it look brighter out than it would have this early in the morning. Usually it looks quite dark out as the sun doesn't rise until 8:15 and we go out around 7:30.

Yesterday's Evening Walk

Can fog be gorgeous? This fog was.

By the time we got near the river the fog had reached epic levels of spookiness. I had a truly horror-movie moment when a guy materialized out of the fog just in front of me asking if I had seen his lost dog. Let's just say Tiny and I had a very brisk walk home after that.

In other news, I think I've just about assimilated. I keep finding mostly consumed cups of tea around the house.