Jerash — a Roman City

This morning we drove an hour north to Jerash, home of the best-preserved Greco-Roman city. Established as a town in AD 70, it is now an open air museum with temples, baths, theaters, and Byzantine churches. The tour starts with Hadrian’s Wall and continues to a massive hippodrome, Zeus Temple, a huge city plaza, beautiful avenues lined with columns. It’s the most complete Roman city I’ve ever seen — a very real surprise.

Following lunch we drove to a Saracen (Muslim) castle on a high hill among olive groves. I must admit that I stayed in the bus and took a nap instead of waking the 99 steps to the top. Driving back to Amman we could view sunset and twinkling lights from hillside homes - beautiful!

Tonight was a home-hosted dinner. Our host was a twenty-something

woman who had finished law school and was in her two-year work with a law firm before taking the bar. Sara’s friend did all the cooking with her children helping to serve. Delicious meal of starters and salads, then a traditional Upside Down dish (rice and turkey and spices baked and then inverted onto a plate), desert. Pleasant conversations with Sara sharing details of life in Ammon.