Amman
Getting to Amman from Dana was nerve wracking. Especially for my husband who did all of the driving. It’s fairly direct and well signed but there are a lot of cars on the road and their drivers seem to range from aggressive to dangerous. Once we got into the city signage faded away. Without Google Maps (nope, not getting paid to promote them) we never would have found the hotel on our own.
Jerusalem Apartment Hotel
The Good
We originally reserved the/a studio but after being shown the dank and smelly basement apartment chose to upgrade, for ten more JD a night, to a light filled and spacious two bedroom upstairs. The neighborhood is quiet and clean, yet still not too far from restaurants and cafes. A short drive/taxi to the local sites. The front desk was extremely helpful, even providing a washing machine, of sorts, when we asked about the lack. (We booked this property, in part, because of the advertised washer.)
The Bad
It is not clean. I mean, it’s not filthy. Except the oven and they came and wiped that out. Which is how it feels they clean the apartment. Wash the sheets and towels, vacuum or sweep the floors, clean the toilet, and take a cleansing cloth to all horizontal surfaces. Which is fine – for a bit. But every little while, at least a couple of times a year for a busy hotel, there needs to be more and the place doesn’t look as though it’s gotten a deep clean in some time.
By deep clean I mean a “My judgemental, OCD, mother in law is spending the weekend.” kind of clean. The type of thing that leaves a sanitized, sparkling, fresh smelling clean that this place seems it hasn’t seen since the last time the decor was updated. Which, from the state of things, was before the turn of the century. There was also a strong odor from the bathroom drain.
We tried to limit our driving in the city but ended up on the road almost every day. Driving in the city is horrible. The other drivers are positively combative. My husband was screamed at by a guy trying to make a left turn from the far right lane. Across four lanes of traffic! Speaking of lanes, during rush hours people will drive on the sidewalks. Avoid it if you can. Taxis are cheap though you do have to negotiate. The city is not particularly stroller, or pedestrian, friendly.
The first morning we get up and go to the Citadel, which turns out to be larger than I imagined. Great article about it here.
The Amman Citadel is on top of one of the many hills that make up the city of Amman. The settlement has lasted through the Bronze and Iron Ages, the Romans, the Byzantine Empire and the Umayyad era. As a result of surviving through the ages not a whole lot remains from the original Bronze Age citadel.
Things to see include the Temple of Hercules, by far the most famous site within the Amman Citadel. Built by the Romans, today only a few parts of it remain. One of those parts is a hand believed to be part of a large Roman statue of Hercules. Also at the Citadel is the Umayyad Palace, believed to have been built between the 7th and 8th Century. Buildings from the Palace form part of the best-preserved structure at the Citadel.
Your under three year old will have to be contained or strictly watched but three year olds and up can be given a bit of reign. People are allowed to scramble over the ruins and basically run amok. The site is high, and as with all sites in Jordan, there is little in the way of safety precautions. You know your kids. There are wide and even pathways making, perhaps, the most stroller friendly of all the ancient sites we saw in Jordan. Amman is at a high elevation so is not as hot as spots lower. There was a constant breeze but the sun is still quite intense. Sunscreen and lots of water are a must.
Other highlights are the ruins of a 6th Century Byzantine church and the Jordan Archaeological Museum. LB enjoyed the museum more than I thought she would. She also wanted, understandably, to touch everything. Unfortunately, this was the one place that was not allowed. The Byzantine church is a cool respite from the heat and a large, empty, echoing chamber where you can let your kid cut loose with little worry. LB spent twenty minutes there just running in circles.
We also went to Jerash. I did mention that, as far as I am concerned, the best civilizations are the dead ones. The longer dead the better. Jerash, about 50km/30m from Aman, has been settled since the Neolithic with two skulls dating as far back as 9500 having been found near the ruins. But Jerash is most famous for being one of the most well-preserved sites for ancient Roman architecture outside of Italy.
Jerash thrived for centuries, going from a village to a major Greco-Roman city, and even surviving a major earthquake. The high point was undoubtedly during the time of Alexander the Great. At one time it was home to 20,000 people. Amazingly, it survived until 1121 before being destroyed by King Baldwin II of Jerusalem during the Crusades.
After the defeat the city fell to ruin and was swallowed by the desert until it was rediscovered by the west in the early 1800s. Excavations, began in 1925, revealed that the sand and arid conditions had preserved the ancient architecture and the details of the city. The amphitheatre, arches and plazas, were all in exceptional condition.
If your kid has any imagination at all they will enjoy an hour or two here. LB’s favorite spot, by far, was the amphitheater. While we were there a group of Italians danced on the stage completely capturing her attention. I have no doubt she was envisioning herself, center stage. Here, again, steps can be steep and drop offs are not roped off or marked in anyway. The old Roman roads are pitted and uneven. It is not stroller friendly. But it all begs to be explored and your kids will have a ball.
That said, these two sites are still aimed primarily at adults and kids need genuine kid time. Next post, only available on the Facebook page, will be all about how we entertained LB.