{JORDAN ~ January 28 – February 05, 2017}
MADABA ~ February 03-04, 2017
Madaba or Amman – as the last stop. We decided to stay in Madaba. One, because it’s very close to the airport and second, because I read that the city has plenty of churches and nearby sites to explore. So we decided to end our holiday with a little city tour in Madaba.
After we checked out in Petra, we drove all the way up to Madaba on the main highway. Just a few km before we approached the airport, we took a short-cut into Madaba.
We stayed in the Mosaic Hotel which is located in the city center. Good price / value – not fancy at all, but clean. From there we started our tour around the city.
Madaba has one of the largest Christian communities. It is called The City of Mosaic, and that is so true. We saw some amazing mosaics in the churches.
Day 1 was church day. We walked around Madaba and visited St. George Church, The Churches of St. John the Baptist and had dinner in one of the most amazing restaurants – Haret Jdoudna.
ST. GEORGE CHURCH ~ MADABA
ST. GEORGE CHURCH ~ MADABA
ST. GEORGE CHURCH ~ MADABA
From St. George we strolled through the city, and that was basically the point when we realized: the city is so-là-là. We could have stayed one night longer in Petra. Oh well – should have, could have, would have – or as we say in German: Hätte, hätte, Fahrradkette.
MOSQUE – MADABA
The Church of St. John the Baptist was amazing. We were allowed to explore the catacombs of the church and then go up up the bell tower where we had an amazing view over Madaba.
CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST – MADABA
CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST – MADABA
Down in the cool catacombs of the church. And then up the bell tower to enjoy an amazing view over Madaba.
CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST – MADABA
CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST – MADABA
CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST – MADABA
CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST – MADABA
MADABA – VIEW FROM BELL TOWER
After our little church hopping we ended up in Haret Jdounda. The food was amazing. The hummus so delicious and the bread so fresh and good that we were close to food coma.
HARET JDOUDNA RESTAURANT – MADABA
HARET JDOUDNA RESTAURANT – MADABA
We finished the day, satisfied with our little city tour, great food, and a plan for Day 2: Mt Nebo – where God showed Moses the Promised Land.
MT NEBO – NEAR MADABA
The next day we drove a few kilometers outside Madaba to Mt Nebo. Now, if you read the Bible, you might know that God asked Mose to go up Mt Nebo where He showed him Canaan, The Promised Land. We drove up Mt Nebo and had a fantastic view. Up Mt Nebo there is the Moses Memorial Church with some amazing mosaics.
MT NEBO – NEAR MADABA
MT NEBO – NEAR MADABA
MT NEBO – NEAR MADABA
MT NEBO – THE PROMISED LAND
MT NEBO – NEAR MADABA
MT NEBO – NEAR MADABA
MT NEBO – NEAR MADABA
For a second there was the idea of just continuing our drive as the road would lead us to the Dead Sea where we could have another round of floating in the water… but unfortunately our trip ended that day.
WAY TO DEAD SEA
We went back to our hotel, grabbed our luggage and drove to the airport.
An amazing holiday in an amazing country ended. 8 days, but each day was fun with great experience, amazing people, country side and lots of fun.
For sure there are things I would have planned differently, but not significantly. Maybe the time of the year – I think in spring or fall it is absolutely beautiful to explore and hike thru the Mujib Biosphere. Other than that – it was great! Loved it and absolutely recommend to visit Jordan!
