Trip Day 6 - driving to Petra

 Official itinerary:

Transfer to Petra via the King's Highway 

After breakfast, we set off on our drive to Petra along the King’s Highway, which has been an international trade route for the last 5,000 years. The route is scenic, and dotted with picturesque villages and historic sites mentioned in the Bible. En route, we’ll visit Mount Nebo, the place where Moses is purported to have gazed upon the Holy Land that he was not meant to reach—it is said that his tomb lies here. From here, we’ll enjoy spectacular views across the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea.
We then continue to Madaba, known for its striking Byzantine mosaics, including the earliest surviving map of the Holy Land. Set in a mosaic floor, the map dates to about the sixth century. Mosaic-making is a tradition that endures with local artists throughout this region, as we'll discover during a visit to a local workshop.
After a visit to St. George's Church, we enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Then, we'll witness scenic views of the Mujib Valley on our way to Petra. We'll also stop for a panoramic view over Wadi Mujib before arriving in Petra in time to relax before an included dinner at our hotel.

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Wednesday September 6

We had an early start leaving the hotel. Bye bye Amman. 

After driving for a while we stopped in Madaba to walk to a Greek Orthodox Church with an incredible mosaic, a map of the Holy Land on the floor. 

Yes, the same cute tourist policeman is with us. He will be until we leave Jordan. 

Outside there was a board with the picture and some explanations. Our guide explained the map to us. It was very fascinating. I had no idea that we were actually in the area where Moses had lead the children of Israel for 40 years in the wilderness. And when you drive through the countryside all you can think is "OMG".

The mosaic in the floor was incredible especially when you consider when it was made in the 6th century to help pilgrims. Most mosaics on the walls and pillars were relatively new and brilliant in colors. The photos are not doing it justice. 

There is a VIDEO   (1:03).

 

From the church we walked through some streets and back to the bus. 

We continued our drive to Mount Nebo.  On the top is a church in honor of Moses. You read in the itinerary that he saw the promised land from here but never got to enter it. 

Before the Pope visited in 2000 the Catholic Church paid generously for the renovation of this site. 

The church in the distance. 

See the green? There are 11 springs here. It's believed to be the spot where Moses struck the rock for water. 

God tells Moses to strike a rock so water will come out 

Exodus 17:5-6     

5 The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.

A cross with the serpent (which reminded me that I still have to make a Chrismon of that symbol).

 

We stood next to the cross and looked towards the promised land. Incredible to think that we might stand on exactly the same spot where Moses stood. 

Moses Dies and Is Buried in the Land of Moab

Deuteronomy 34:1-5      

1 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3 the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. 4 The Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” 5 Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command.

VIDEO   (0:35) of the view he might had from where now the cross stands.

We went into the church. It is actually 5 churches (or chapels). One add-on after the other. All with incredible floor mosaics. The mosaics on the walls were also from here but preserved this way. 

 

This olive tree was planted by the pope 17 years ago. 

Olives but not on the above tree. 

Next door was a small museum. The model shows very well the 5 different "parts".

The colors in the above mosaic are so vibrant. The next photo is a close-up of a section which was a bit chipped. You can see that each piece of stone is a genuine that color. 

 

Not even 5 minutes away our lunch place. 

Next door the place to show us how they make the mosaics these days. We were supposed to see a school of mosaic making but we all decided that this couldn't be it. Our home host had talked about it. 

Front of a finished piece. 

Back of the finished piece. 

They also decorate ostrich eggs with the colors of the ground stone. 

Then we continued the drive. 

At one point our driver had to slow down because of a herd of sheep. 

A necessary stop. But oh no the souvenirs. I did actually see some quilts. 

 Iyad diverted the drive to introduce us to this old Bedouin who lives in a cave. He is quite a character. It was fun. 

Just a little further the bus driver stopped again and plucked green figs off a tree. Delicious. 

We arrived in time at our hotel in Petra to check in, get settled and then James and I went to the roof top to see the sun go down. 

Afterwards James put his hand into the pool but it was not really nice and warm. 

Dinner at 7 pm. It was a buffet but very nice. 

With the meals usually comes only water but this time a drink too. Of course no alcohol but James and I had "fake beer".

In the room we had a can of real beer though which we had brought with us from Amman. After some catch-up with the blogs etc it was time to turn the light off. We have to start early tomorrow again. Not much free time if you want to see a lot.