We've seen a real queen.......

.......and here she is: Queen Noor of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. It was a long trip getting to her and she was a total surprise to Grandpa and me. She was beautiful, both in appearance and in demeanor. Grandpa and I have joined an "Insight Vacations" tour group for 3 days on our own, to see the country of Jordan and have a little time away for ourselves.
Our most impressive stop on this bus tour was at Petra, a very ancient city in the desert. The only way to enter this scenic area of antiquities was between these two huge rocks. It's a long, hot walk. Grandpa and I walked a total of five miles, but it was well worth our labor.
As we passed through the crevice, the view opened onto an open area. Carved into the rocks, as are all the buildings in Petra, is the Treasury - so called because rumors around the desert claimed treasures of great wealth were hidden inside it. This picture of Grandpa and me seems to glow as the early morning sun shining on the rocks brings out the rosy colors and all of Petra takes on a whole new hue.










Grandpa and I went a little farther to see more of the town's buildings as the road goes on for some distance with more ruins to behold, but we turned back before we reached the amphitheater in anticipation of a very long walk. Stopping across from the Treasury to rest, we saw a commotion near the entrance. A horse-drawn cart pulled in and a well-dressed woman stepped out.


Well dressed, means she was not geared up to walk in the desert, but certainly not in full royal regalia. Her people recognized her immediately and came to her side to show their love and respect. One by one she stood with them to be photographed and spoke kindly to each one. They addressed her as 'Your Highness.' It wasn't until we talked to our friends that we realized she was Queen Noor. We had her pegged as Queen Rania.

Jordan is full of ruins and Biblical Scenes. Once we left Amman everything was rocks and desert. So much history and many Biblical stories took place here. The magnificent city of Jaresh (GERASA) was a joy to visit.
Here we saw Hadrian's Arch - a structure built simply because the Roman big-shot Hadrian was coming to visit.

Grandpa was approached by this peasant boy, who was selling chewing gum. (Everybody's always selling something.) We chatted with him a little. All Jordanian children take English in school, so we could communicate. Grandpa took whatever coin was in his pocket to pay for the gum, so it probably proved to be very expensive - but well-worth the cost of conversing with the boy.

One very pleasant bus stop was on Mt. Nebo where we saw this marker to commemorate the death of Moses. Of course, no one knows exactly where he is buried, but we know he died on Mt. Nebo and was buried nearby in secret.
We stopped briefly at the Jabbok River where Moses had crossed to do battle. That is the same area where Jacob wrestled with the angel.

Madaba was another famous city we enjoyed. It is known for it's mosaics. Here you can see handicapped women creating mosaic trays. We stopped at the historic church (Orthodox , I believe.) and saw the mosaic map on the floor near the altar. It shows the Biblical lands of the Middle-East. My picture is a picture of a picture, as it was too hard to get a picture of the real one inside the church - partly because it has deteriorated so much.
A castle held by the Crusaders was also on our tour. There was a whole city inside it, so it was impossible to get a photo of the whole, but here are a few snapshots of the inside.


Our last sight at Castle Kerak was this statue of Saladin, a 12th Century Kurd who is best known for leading the Muslim armies during the Crusades and recapturing Jerusalem. His horse is rearing, to symbolize that his rider died in battle and not from natural causes.

Jordan is rife with fascinating scenes such as these, but Grandpa and I were scheduled to move on to Amman where an auditing job awaited him.
Before I sign off, I feel compelled to tell you about our 'bonus' on this tour. Wherever I go someone expresses their faith in Jesus Christ, even though I don't ask. When I hear their testimony of faith, I always feel it is the high point of our travels. This time it was George, a land and real estate dealer from India. With him were his wife, Rachel, and daughter, Prea. He is from the Anglican church and Rachel is connected to an Orthodox congregation that was founded by (Doubting) Thomas, Christ's disciple. George wanted us to know that the Church is alive and well in India - small compared to the 80% Hindu, but thriving - and is diverse in nature: Methodist, Catholic, Anglican among others - even our own Alliance. He pointed to one Jane McNally from our denomination who gave 50 years of her life to our Lord in India.

Thanks for being such a faithful reader. It makes me feel like I'm with each of you when I write (great antidote for homesickness). I love you all and look forward to the next time we'll be together.

CAKFJ, Grandma for Grandpa and me