Seek and Ye Shall Find… Qasr al Abd

A few weeks ago, we decided to head out and find the fields of black irises that were alleged to be taking over the hills surrounding Amman.  We had GPS coordinates, which we dutifully plugged in, and then went happily following their lead. Driving outside of Amman is always interesting.  The hills and fields and stone walls and goat paths are seemingly endless.  And it’s a nice change of scenery from villas, shops and restaurants.

As is typical, we had a few turn offs suggested by our dear Garmin that really weren’t roads, more like “Bob’s driveway,” or “sheep’s lane” (literally).  But after a few turns or continuations, and quick recalculations, we were back on the path heading for this sea of black irises.

We drove up this steeply inclined hill to the exact point where our GPS wanted us to stop and found ourselves in someone’s driveway (yet again).  We decided to go a little further on, cresting the top of the hill, only to be in a cul-de-sac of four other houses.  Even still, we stopped and looked around.  There’s nothing saying that the fields of black irises couldn’t be in someone’s backyard, right?  Well, apparently not these backyards.

So we turned around and went back down the hill to our initial GPS position and stopped again.  We looked around and around, but nothing but normal fields, stone walls, and more goats.  As we sat there, pulled off to the side of the road, looking through our guidebooks trying to see where we went wrong, my husband suddenly said, “What’s that?” and pointed to a pile of ruins directly in front of us at the bottom of the hill.

It definitely looked like something… important.  It wasn’t just “Bob’s Pile O’ Rocks.”  So we dug through the guidebooks and Google and found out that we were peering down on the ruins of a pre-Roman villa known as Qasr al Abd, “Castle of the Slave/Servant.”

Qasr al Abd

According to our quick research, these are all that remains of the beginnings of a grand estate built around 200 BC, that was never finished.  It apparently suffered significant damage in the 365 AD earthquake, and while there’s not a huge amount to explore, there are some interesting things to see; including some limestone blocks alleged to weigh upwards of 25 tons each, as well as some still visible carvings of leopards, eagles and even lions around the exterior (look both at the top and bottom edges as you walk around).

lioness

leopard

When we were there the iron gates were open allowing us access to the interior.  For little ones it’s not the safest of environments to wander through, however for the older kids it’s probably great fun.  If the gates aren’t open, the guidebook says the guardian may appear and for a nominal tip (1-2JD) will gladly open the gates as well as the museum off to the side.

interior

Following this, if your wayward exploration quotient hasn’t been met for the day, on the way home stop by the Handicraft Projects shop in the village of Iraq al-Amir, just 1 km away.  Also, there are the remains of a Roman aqueduct near some plant nurseries you’ll probably pass and a very popular local café, al-Yannabeea, that apparently has passable bathrooms.  All options for more excitement, I’m sure.

So, while we missed out on the black irises, we will keep them in mind for next year’s wanderings; but as is often the case in Jordan, we still found something worthy of a day’s adventure, even beyond “Bob’s goat path.”

Ice Cream, Car Parts & a Little Adventure

The next time you have a hankering for a few kilos of home-made ice cream, or for an adventure through Bayader’s automotive industrial district, head on over to Casper Italian Ice Cream.

The one catch is that you’d never know it was there unless someone told you exactly where to go.  So for locals, or intrepid visitors to Amman, let’s start there.

Take Queen Zein Street west, towards Airport Road (away from City Center), then keep going.  You’ll next pass King Abdullah II Street, where Queen Zein turns into Al-Sina’ah Street, but keep heading straight.  Go through two more lights, then at the next circle, just at the pedestrian overpass, make a u-turn and your first right, just at the corner vegetable market.  Follow this road straight (for those who’ve been there, you’ll pass the road on the left that leads to Desert Rose Holy Land Designs), then pass the fire station on your right, and come to a triangular traffic “circle” (you’ll recognize it, trust me).  Make a hard left here.  Follow this road and take your third left.  The road will quickly turn right and on your left you’ll see number 12, with a small “Casper” sign above the door.   Walk up to the second floor and follow the hallway around to the Casper door (written in Arabic, but look for the tiny ice cream sticker on the door).  And yes, it does feel a bit like you're heading to see the Oracle to find out your fate.  Ring the bell and enter.

The owner is Marwan and they have a wide selection of all flavors of home-made ice cream, from chocolate mousse to cheesecake to Twix and tiramisu.  The one catch is that they only sell it in tub-sizes – three kilos each – and the prices range from 12-16JD per tub, depending on the specialty.  The good news is that you can re-use the tubs for geraniums in the Spring or for apple bobbing in the Fall.

Unfortunately, also, there’s no taste-testing.  However, I think a great summertime treat might be a neighborhood block-party type taste-testing.  Let everyone get a spoonful of some of their 70 flavors.  Then when you’ve chosen your favorite, pile up the kids and head on over to Bayader for your very own personal tub (and maybe a muffler or two).  Do note that their hours are 10:00am to 5:00pm, Saturday through Thursday (closed Fridays).  Now, who wants ice cream?!?!

Amman’s Pot O’ Gold at the End of the Rainbow

Ever since we arrived in Amman, we’ve heard about the amazing restaurants and bars and shops along Rainbow Street (located just off the First Circle on Zahran Street).  If we’d been remotely “cool” we would have thoroughly explored it by now and would be able to regale all its wonder.  However, I shall blame our lack-of-cool on having a toddler whose bedtime routine doesn’t allow for too many nighttime explorations (not to mention a pregnancy that often renders me asleep before the toddler).

However, we have made a few forays on weekends into just a little of what Rainbow Street has to offer, and I have to agree that it’s a fun day’s outing.

In addition to tons of restaurants, clubs and bars, there are lots of little shops to explore and peruse, including antique shops, book shops, tchotchke and tile shops, and lots of juice and falafel stands.

I’m sure there are lots of places to recommend, but in our limited wanderings I can merely point out a few; however, they’re well worth a visit; even with a wiggly toddler.

Wild Jordan Café – This was opened in partnership with The Royal Society for Nature Conservation (RSNC) to promote their six nature reserves throughout Jordan, their eco tourism projects and locally-made handicrafts that they sell from the shop here.  In addition to grabbing some gifts at the shop, you can scoop up some brochures on the local eco tourism options, from camping to hiking and day-trips, or even schedule them right there.

The café strives to serve healthy meals made from local products, and offers a nice selection of vegetarian options (yeah!!) and fabulous smoothies (their date smoothie blew my socks off!).  But one additional reason to go is for their view of Amman – it’s fabulous!  Directly across from them is the Temple of Hercules at the Citadel; not too shabby for a lunch date.

The Soap House – Orjan: The Soap House is located down near the “end” of Rainbow Street, before it bends to the left.  They have a lovely shop where their olive oil soaps, scrubs, oils and masks are displayed and can be smelled and sampled to your heart’s (and nose’s) delight.  All of their products are made in Jordan and are made from local ingredients, like olive oil, lavender, cinnamon, mint, pomegranate, etc.  Once your senses are thoroughly doused in all the goodness, they’ll even help you make up specialized gift boxes (for yourself or others, if you feel so inclined).

Souk Jara – This is only open during the summer months (from approximately late May through mid September), but it is open every day of the week.  It’s an open-air market full of all types of fun crafts, jewelry, antiques, paintings, miscellany (i.e., I saw a California license plate for sale), food stalls, even henna painting.  It’s lively and colorful and is also great for people watching.  It can be accessed from Rainbow Street, or the stairs directly across from Wild Jordan Café.

Jordan's Mountain Breeze Country Club

Looking for some place to take the kids on a weekend afternoon?  Hoping for some place that won’t drain your wallet?  Want to get out of Amman for a few hours?  Well, take a gander at the Mountain Breeze Country Club.

It’s about an hour away, off the Amman-Jerash highway.  If you were really adventurous (and didn’t require nap-breaks) then you could tag it on the end of a day of exploration at Jerash.  Let the kids get some more energy out, and have a meal over-looking a breathtaking vista.

The Club costs nothing to enter, but they don’t allow food and drinks inside and hope that you’ll take advantage of their restaurant and snack bar.  The do offer camping, paintball and archery, for a fee (as well as “team-building exercises” if you feel it’s warranted).  But they also have a shaded playground available for free for the little ones.

The grounds are beautifully landscaped and afford some shade along the paths, which are slated-wood and therefore fairly stroller-friendly if you need that.  The restaurant offers basic family-friendly selections, but the view is outstanding and worth it.

All in all, it’s a nice get-away for a few hours and gets you out of the mall or the movies and literally into the mountain breeze for a day.

They do have a fairly good map and directions on their website.  One thing to note, if you’re relying on your GPS instead of the directions… don’t.  Use both.  You can either take the exit for Ayn al-Basha, then follow it parallel to the road in the same direction until you see the enormous satellite dishes on the left, and come to a traffic circle, then follow the website’s directions.  Or, you can go to the next exit (as the website suggests), passing the satellite dishes on the left in Baqa’a, and make the subsequent u-turn and return to the same traffic circle and follow their directions from there.

After you turn off by the satellites (regardless of which exit you take), just keep an eye out for the Mountain Breeze signs leading you up and around, kilometer by kilometer.  For whatever reason, our Garmin kept insisting we take the smaller “roads” (or goat paths) and we eventually just ignored it and followed the signs, which lead us straight there.

Check out their website for directions and further details:  http://www.jordanadventure.com/

Nesting Habits: From Knitting to Papier Mâché, and all the Crazies in Between

Two years ago, when we were waiting for our daughter to be born (and adopted), I was hit with the nesting bug, but never got the stereotypical knitting-bug like some folks do.  Two years earlier I’d gotten a minor knitting bug (no connection to nesting, just a temporary crafty-bug) and everyone in the family had gotten a scarf; but I quickly learned that scarf-shapes were pretty much the pinnacle of my knitting abilities.  Hence the skeins of yarn still waiting to be used, four years later.  However, during this awaiting-parenthood period, while foregoing the knitting frenzies, I did go through a mass of mildly crazed sewing projects; from multiple quilts, to baby blankets, cloth diapers, crib rail covers, coasters, and even some attempted swaddles and sleepers. Then one night, as I was between sewing projects and devouring parenting books, I was chatting with a girlfriend who was coordinating an event for an animal group and we were discussing possible centerpieces; and we came up with papier mâché animals.  Suddenly, all of my crazies were focused on thinking about how to make a papier mâché pig.  That was all it took.  And in my manic, nesting mode, I took it on as a challenge.

One balloon, two toilet paper rolls, a pile of newspaper, printing paper, and a quick Google search on making your own paste a home, and I was whipping together my first papier mâché pig.  And if I do say so myself, he came out pretty damn cute!  (My friend ended up doing something different for the centerpieces, but for my spastic nesting needs, this filled the gap quite nicely and the pig remains on my daughter's bookcase two years later.)

Some friends said the nesting bug barely ever hit them, and they were racing at the end to get the nursery decorated, the crib put together and figure out the diaper genie.  On the other hand, some friends started nesting as soon as the stick turned pink and never rested until the kid left for college.  To each his, or her, own, I say (I mean, it's not like folks in papier mâché houses can throw stones, right?).

But now, with our pregnancy, and us expecting number two, I was curious if the nesting crazies would take over as they had the first time.  And the answer is “not completely.”  And there are two very good reasons for that: I’m pregnant and perpetually exhausted, and I have a two-year-old who sucks out any remaining energy the baby hasn’t already absconded with.

However, while the nesting crazies didn’t hit me with the gusto that they did pre-kids, they did hit… eventually.  And around week 24, I finally got the nursery in order, replete with Pooh and Tigger decals, changing station, crib set up, and all the organized-by-age-range, washed and folded baby clothes.  Whew!

I had a minor brush with some sewing bugs along the way, but other than a cover for my body pillow, nothing else ever got off the ground.

Then around week 30, the papier mâché bug hit again and I suddenly decided that I was going to finally make something of those moving boxes I’d been saving for almost a year.  And for one full week, I was all about crafting a papier mâché kitchen.  I don’t know where it came from, but like many fellow nesters can attest to, the driving compulsion to do this NOW was overwhelming and all-consuming.  Plus, I figured post-baby I’d never have the energy; though it's not like I was brimming with energy currently, but the nesting crazies can help dispel any pesky truths that get in the way of "reality".

I started by cutting and taping everything (including covering up the words on the boxes).  Then I tried different layouts and finally decided where I wanted things (sink, stove, microwave, shelves, etc.).

Then I used papier mâché to help give it some form and strength it needed – especially with a two-year-old’s curiosity and Godzilla-like tendencies.

Then, with a little paint and some handy stamps, I added the finishing touches.

And while it definitely looks home-made, she’s only two and has yet to feel embarrassed by her mother’s not-quite-successful crafty attempts.

Everything, other than the metal bowl that I used for the sink, was made from boxes or stuff I grabbed out of the recycling bin.  But I will add that while using bottle caps for the stove and microwave buttons was a great use of recycled materials, they lasted about 3 minutes once the two-year-old discovered them.  Two days later, after foolishly trying to re-glue them repeatedly, I gave up and painted on the buttons.  Lessons learned.

The last pre-birth nesting-craze to hit, was my sudden desire to put the two-year-old in swim lessons.  With a mere four weeks to go, I felt a bit of panic in squeezing them in, but squeeze I did.  I’ve heard from other moms expecting their second that this is not an uncommon reaction.  So at any given time, somewhere in the world, there are many 8-month-preggos bobbing around in pools with willing and less-than-willing toddlers learning to blow bubbles.  So, whether our daughter masters the doggy paddle, or we just have some fun mommy-and-me time, I figure all the squeezing was worth it.

As I was mulling over the nesting crazies, mine and other tales I'd heard of (many involved cleaning frenzies that would make any OCD sufferer proud, including using toothbrushes to clean grout, simonizing the washing machine, and wiping down the walls of the nursery until the wallpaper starts to disintegrate), out of curiosity I Googled "nesting habits" and found this from Britannica.com:

Some nests are lined with small stones, and others are built of dirt or mud with or without plant material. Sticks, leaves, algae, rootlets, and other plant fibres are used alone or in combination. Some... seek out animal materials such as feathers, horsehair, or snakeskin. The nest materials may be held together by weaving, sewing, or felting the materials themselves or with mud or spider webs. Swifts use saliva to glue nest materials together and to attach the nest to the supporting structure.

So maybe my sewing, swimming and papier mâché crazies aren't that... well, crazy.  I'm not obsessed with whether I can see my face in our washing machine's spin cycle, nor am I nesting with algae, snagging spider webs or spitting on things.  All in all, I think we're doing okay.  Now, how about some papier mâché sleepers?!?