Amman

We woke up around 9am (February 16, 2020) again and went to have breakfast that was included at the hotel. The breakfast spread was huge! There were tons of pastries and breads as well as pizza, there were cold items such as meats and cheese, and hot items with falafel, tomatoes, potatoes, and some other local food. There was also an egg station where you could order eggs any way you liked.

View from our hotel

Breakfast

Our Breakfast spread

After breakfast we packed our things and checked out. We also stopped and got water at the Starbucks attached to our hotel. It was surprisingly cheap for a Starbucks. Our first stop was the Amman Citadel. The Citadel is quite incredible and has different ruins from many great civilizations include those from the Bronze Age through the Roman, Byzantine, and Umayyad periods. Some of the highlights we saw were the Roman Temple of Hercules, the Umayyad Palace, and the Umayyad water cistern. It was a beautiful day to walk outside and take in the history. For me, I find it incredibly fascinating to visit places like this. I am amazed at the structures people built so long ago without the technology we have today and how they survived with very little.

Driving to the Citadel

Just before entering the Citadel there were amazing views of the city

Buildings of Amman, the minaret in the foreground was playing a call to prayer

Bronze Age ruins, with the Roman Theater beyond

  

Here you can see the Theater

This is the Temple of Hercules

The temple was largely destroyed by earthquakes

Remains of the formerly massive statue of Hercules

Ancient Siege cannon

Inside Mosque

In the Umayyad Palace ruins

After taking in the sights, we decided to head to Petra as it was 1pm and we still had about a four hour drive. Sunset was around 5:30 and we didn't really want to drive in the dark as driving here has been quite intense. The rules of the road are more of suggestions than rules. Hunter has fun navigating the tight streets of Amman but we were both happy when the highway opened up some. Thankfully, they at least drive on the same side of the road as us!

We stopped at a large service station (kind of like a truck stop on the highway back home) on our drive and picked up some snacks and water, and stopped at McDonald's for lunch! We were a little lazy and didn't want to spend a lot of time having a local lunch, so it worked out! We also got some money from an ATM just incase things in Wadi Musa and Petra didn't accept cards or if we needed to give a tip.

Leaving the city

We continued our journey and the GPS kindly told us to stay on the road for the next 160 kilometers! We also planned a stop on the way there at a castle nicknamed Montreal.

As we were driving, there were multiple areas where the police would flash a stop sign at you and you'd have to pull over. It was a little worrisome the first time it happened to us, but they just asked for Hunters license and the cars paperwork, which the rental car people showed us the night before. They also asked where we were from and where we were going, then let us on our way. It was simple, but slightly frightening!

Driving through the desert at sunset

The Crusader Fortress

Eventually we made it to the castle right as the sun set. We parked our car and when we got out, there was the cutest little orange kitten demanding attention! I gave it a quick pet, which it liked and then it wouldn't leave. It started purring and rubbing on my leg. When I tried to leave to go look around with Hunter, it tried to follow me by jumping and attaching to my leg! It was adorable.

We made it inside and used the bathrooms and then paused at the lookout spot towards the castle. The kitten had found us again along with what appeared to be it's mom. I sat on the steps at the lookout and both cats decided I made a comfortable bed and wanted to take a nap on me. I let them for a few minutes because they were just so darn cute! Eventually, I said goodbye and moved them to the steps. I washed my hands before we left, and we continued with our drive to Petra as darkness set in. It was actually a bit stormy and as we went further south, rain and fog started. Luckily Hunter is an excellent driver and got us to our hotel safely around 6:30 pm.

Stormy's adopted children

At the hotel, we checked in and they gave us a sample of tea and a delicious mango juice. They also complimentary valet parked our car. It was very fancy and exciting. All the staff were very happy and wanted us to be as well. We were then escorted to our room, 806, which is supposed to have an excellent view, but it was currently dark and raining, so we couldn't see much. Nonetheless, the room was beautiful and smelled very clean.

After settling in, we decided to go look at the hotel restaurant because we were a little hungry. We ordered two falafel dishes, a fattoush (Lebanese salad), and an artichoke and goat cheese salad. As these were not main dishes, we didn't expect a feast, but when the food came out, we were amazed at how much there was and how delicious it was! We enjoyed it very much and the staff was extremely attentive.

Our "light" dinner spread

It was about 8:30 when we finished eating and we headed back to our room to shower and sleep. Our plan was to go to sleep early because we had quite the day planned for tomorrow and visiting the Petra sites!