Sarah goes to Petra and sleeps in a Bedouin tent in the desert - what an awesome day!

So my third and fourth days in Jordan were my favourites!  We met up with Abu Wassim at seven in the morning and he drove us to Petra, the famous lost Nabatean city carved out of the walls of a desert canyon.  I've heard lots about Petra but I wasn't prepared for the sheer size of it.  It was HUGE, and stretched for miles.  We started off the day by walking through the Siq, which is a canyon that served as the entrance to the city.  Even though Petra dates to the first century BCE (roughly), there are still traces of the pipelines the Nabateans used to direct the water towards the city.  We continued to find the Treasury, probably the most well preserved and well known of Petra's buildings.  We decided, true to our Jordan theme, that the next thing we should do is climb!  So Raph and I climbed to the High Place of Sacrifice, which is on top of a huge hill (I think it was more of a mountain, actually), and we decided to have a picnic overlooking all of Petra.  In the afternoon we climbed down the mountain on the other side, got lost in the desert, and finally found our way out to admire some of Petra's other treasures before heading back to meet Abu Wassim.  He drove like a madman to get us to the Wadi Rum desert in time to watch the sun set - and it was worth it!

Th Treasury at Petra!

Best picnic spot in the world

We met our Bedouin guide, Abu Youssef, and his rusty Toyota truck at the edge of the desert, and he took us to a great spot to watch the sun slip under the horizon.  The desert was so still and peaceful, it felt like we were the only people in the entire world.  Abu Youssef made us tea (Bedouin tea, aka SUGAR in hot water) which was delicious and super sweet, and then he drove us to our camp where we were staying the night.  He also told us a little about his life, the villages in the desert, the Bedouin etc.  My favourite part was him telling us about his two wives and ten kids.  He couldn't quite remember all of his children's names, but he got them eventually, haha.  I asked if his wives were friends, and he told me that one stays in one house, and the other had her separate house, and he stays one night in one house, the next in the other!  He said that if he stays for two nights in one house, he gets in big trouble.  I think he may have been speaking from experience!

Driving through the desert

Abu Youssef making tea!

Our Bedouin camp was lovely, tucked under a cliff in the desert.  We arrived and found our tent, then went for supper, which was lamb that had been buried underground and cooked under the sand for hours.  Bedouin dancing followed our feast, and then we went out into the desert to watch the stars.  It was a beautiful sight - the desert was so dark and quiet, and I saw shooting star after shooting star.

Camel riding before dawn

Yay camels!  They're so cute!

The next morning we woke up before dawn, at five am, and rode camels out into the desert again to watch the sunrise.  Abu Youssef came along, made us more tea (thank god) and brought cheese, pita, and olives from his garden.  We then took off in Abu Youssef's truck across the desert, wrapped in his sheepskin coat because it was freezing!  I'll write about what we saw in the desert in the next post, as I need a typing break!

Sarah floats in the Dead Sea!

Beautiful Jerash!

I loved the first day I was in Jordan but the second was even better!  In the morning we met with Abu Wassim and headed off to Jerash to explore the Roman ruins.  We stopped on the way for a Turkish coffee - a very bitter, grainy form of Tim Horton's.  I liked it, especially at eight in the morning!  When we got to Jerash, I was amazed at the expanse of the ruins!  They were huge, and for a couple of hours we crawled over the Roman theatre, temples, colonnaded roads... it was amazing.  There's no other place I've been that will let you crawl over anything and go anywhere among such well-preserved ruins.  It was so easy to imagine being Roman and what it would have been like to live in Jordan back then!

Raph and I exploring the Roman ruins

At the Dead Sea!

On our way to the Dead Sea, Abu Wassim stopped off at an Arabian castle located on a Jebel (hill) which was almost deserted so once again we climbed over the entire thing (there is a theme to this trip: lots of climbing, as you will see!).  We then drove to the lowest point on the Earth's surface - the Dead Sea!  Located 400 m below sealevel, it was really hot and humid compared to Amman or Jerash.  We went to the Amman Beach Resort and headed down to the shore, which was covered in salt crystals!  Once I waded in, I discovered what they say about the Dead Sea is so true - you float like a cork!  No matter which way I moved I just popped back up again.  So at some point you give up on the swimming idea and just float aimlessly.  We swam for a couple hours then had to rinse ourselves off because the water's so briny it feels like you have oil on your skin afterwards.  Plus, I accidentally got some in my eye, which was painful, and some in my mouth, which was even worse because it tasted AWFUL.  Note to self: don't try to talk while swimming in the Dead Sea.

Floating!

On our way back to Jordan, we stopped at Mount Nebo, where apparently Moses went to look at the Promised Land before he died, and a town called Madaba, famous for its mosaics.

Sarah finally updates her Blog (hurray!)

First of all, for those who have been wondering if I am still alive  - I am!  I just haven't had enough time to update this blog recently... with all of this traveling my schoolwork was catching up with me!  But I'm back on track, after visiting Jordan and London, so I'm ready to tell you guys all about it!  I think I might split this story up in parts because otherwise it will be the longest post on the planet!

Anyways, two weeks ago I left Paris with Raph and we went to Amman, Jordan!  We landed in the city at about two in the morning after a layover in Rome, so we blearily made our way through security and found our bags.  One thing I remember that was unusual was that they scan your bags on your way out of the Queen Alia airport as well, so I am now a pro at airport security checkpoints.  We were met at the airport by Wendy, who is a Canadian diplomat and is married to the Canadian ambassador to Jordan and Iraq.  It was her birthday, but she still came and picked us up!  I liked her right away, she was super friendly and cheerful, and had a ton of advice as to where we should go while we were in Jordan.  We got to the official residence and were shown to our rooms - the house and the rooms were absolutely gorgeous! We finally sank into bed and I remember falling asleep to the sound of the call to prayer coming from the mosque across the street.

The next day we woke up late and met Wendy as she was coming back from her birthday lunch.  She took us to a small hole in the wall around the corner that sold falafel, shawarma, hummus, ful, and pita.  We had SO much food, for only 4 dinars, which is amazing.  We took all of our lunch into the back garden of the residence (inhabited by an inukshuk and a million stray cats) and had our first Jordanian picnic!  We then took the time to wander around the neighbourhood, which I believe was called Swefieh, if I'm spelling that right.  Swefieh is one of the upper-class neighbourhoods in Amman, and I loved looking at the shopping centres we passed, which were full of shops selling chocolate and a ton that sold wedding dresses!  It was strange, but cool.

We headed back to the residence where I met the ambassador, Mark, and their eleven year-old son Jack.  They immediately made us feel at home, and we had dinner and played rummy before organizing our excursions for the next few days.  Mark gave us the name of a driver that we could hire to take us around that was recommended by the embassy.  His name was Abu Wassim and he agreed to take us to Jerash, a city to the north of Amman and to the Dead Sea the next day.  We got ready for an early start and that was our first day in Jordan!

Sarah, Ash and Tal discover what's underneath Paris!

So Ashley's gone back to England (soooo sad), but we did go out for one more adventure before she left.  We explored what's UNDERNEATH Paris, which was amazing.  I would recommend the National Geographic issue that just came out - it explains that under the city there is a maze of old quarries that have been transformed into an ossuary that can be visited by tourists, which is exactly where we were on Thursday afternoon.  We went below the sewers and the electricity lines, below the metro and RER trains, right into ancient caves that are under the Montparnasse area of Paris.

What we saw down there was , in one word, CREEPY.  There are over six million bodies worth of bones down there - that's three times the population of the bustling city above.  The bones were placed there when an epidemic broke out and was blamed on the nearby Cemetery of the Innocents.  To avoid the spreading of disease, the bodies from that cemetery and many others were exhumed and poured into the catacombs.  It took two years to move them all!

Going through the creepy catacombs under Paris!

Yes - those are real bones.

Ash and Tal - feeling claustrophobic

CREEPY skulls

The bones were placed in patterns in the catacombs, there were hearts, crosses, circles and waves of skulls.  There were also poems written in Latin and French along the walls, as well as carvings of castles, wells and records of the inspectors who came down there in the 18th and 19th centuries.

After the creepy catacombs we resurfaced - taking HUGE gulps of air - and decided that hot chocolate would cure us of our lingering claustrophobia.  Then the three of us, Tal, Ash and I, gathered supplies at a nearby market and came home to make a wonderful spread of baguette, cheese, hummus, vegetables, nachos, guacamole, fruit salad, and dessert. YUM!

Ash woke up this morning and headed to the airport - I miss her already!  At least I know I get the see her again, as in two weeks time, we're meeting in LONDON!  I'm so excited for that!  In the meantime, I'm freaking out about Jordan, because I leave tomorrow!  I went desert shopping this afternoon to find clothes that I could wear in Amman, because all of the longer-sleeved shirts I own are built for Ottawa winters, not Jordanian deserts.  Anyways, I hope I'll be able to pull everything together by four tomorrow, that's when I head to the airport.  Raph and I will get into Amman at about one in the morning, and it's the ambassador's wife's birthday!  I'm bringing her Parisian macarons as a gift, since letting me stay with them is such a nice thing for them to do - especially if it's your birthday!

I probably won't be able to update my blog for a week or so - but I'll be collecting lots of stories to post later on.  Hope everyone in Canada had a good winter break, and I hope I get to talk to some of you when I'm back! <3

Sarah and Ashley go to Versailles!

Guess what happens when Ashley and I are let loose in Versailles, the palace built by Louis XIV?  Yes, we do spend all day pretending we are royalty!  But the chateau makes you feel that way, it is absolutely phenomenal!  Ash arrived in Paris a couple of days ago for her reading week, and has been sleeping on the couch.  While I went to class in the morning she's been spending time at the Louvre and in the Tuileries gardens.  When I came back in the afternoons, we went to Notre Dame, Shakespeare and Company, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysees, and Place de la Concorde.  Since today was my day off, we decided to spend a day trip going to the castle, and it was definitely worth it!

We started the day by taking the RER train out of Paris to Versailles, and walked through the drizzly rain to the palace gates, where we got in for free (hurray EU student cards!)  The palace is impressive, and HUGE!  We walked through dozens of rooms lined  with art, decorated with sculptures and wonderfully intricate furniture.  The chapel used by the kings and queens of France was immense, and beautifully painted.  My favourite was the Hall of Mirrors - lined with crystal chandeliers, mirrors and windows it was absolutely breathtaking.  On the ceiling, Louis XIV had designed his military victories painted, which is a pretty cool effect.  As we were walking through the Hall, we remembered where this was where the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919 and where Marie-Antoinette had walked down the aisle in her wedding gown.

Ash, me, and VERSAILLES!

More royalty was in store for us though!  We saw the king and queen's apartments, as well as the dauphin's rooms, and after a bite to eat wandered through the gardens which were even bigger than the palace.  Despite the rain, it was still quite a nice walk, and I've decided I have to go back when the fountains are on and when the sun is out!

We walked to the Grand Trianon, another part of the castle built not too far away.  The best part of this building?  IT WAS PINK!  So cute.  I could definitely see myself living in a pink palace.  My first thought was of my friend Amy Cook who's in Ottawa at the moment - she loves pink and I feel like she's destined to live there someday!  Next we visited the Petit Trianon, which was a "little" castle designed for Louis XV and his mistress Madame de Pompadour.  This was the present that Louis XVI gave Marie-Antoinette,  and what I loved most about it was the gazebo in the garden that looked exactly like it was from the movie Pride and Prejudice!  Luckily Ash is also a Jane Austen fan, so she understands my obsession!

Although I have class tomorrow, I'm waking up early and grabbing croissants from the bakery to have breakfast with Ash before I go.  Then afterwards we're meeting up to take a tour of the catacombs of Paris!  Apparently there are the bones of six million people (three times the population of Paris) under the city.  Creepy... but cool!

And I still have to pack for Jordan, AH!  I am the worst at packing - wish me luck!

Sarah books her reading week trip... JORDAN HERE I COME!

According to the well known scholar/traveler/housemate/friend extraordinaire, Marla MacKinnon, I've heard that Jordan might just be the coolest place on Earth.  So I booked a trip there for reading week!  Actually, Raph did the booking, and I'm in charge of the itinerary-planning! 

A map!  Sooooo exciting!

The plan is to fly to Amman on the 26th of February to meet Raph's friend (who happens to be the Canadian Ambassador to Jordan.  HOW CRAZY IS THAT?) and stay with the Ambassador's family for a while.  So far I've been concocting fun tourist plans about wandering around Amman, going to see the Dead Sea, visiting Petra, and maybe the port city of Aqaba or the beautiful Wadi Rum.  We might even have time to visit Jerash to the North or even go desert camping!

I just have one requirement: I must ride a  camel while I'm there.  As long as I get to do that, I'll be blissfully happy when I get back to la belle Paris!

The only downside to this fantastic plan is that I am super distracted and can't concentrate on school when I would much rather look up pictures and tourist tips on the Internet!

Sarah celebrates Valentine's day!

Joyeuse Saint-Valentin!  Right now, I'm celebrating Valentine's day with my roommate Natalia!  We made a lovely Valentine's Day dinner of quinoa salad (my contribution) and Chinese food (Tal's contribution)... AMAZING.  We're sitting at our dining room table eating, procrastinating instead of doing the ton of homework that we have.

Earlier today after class, we had an awesome picnic with some of the girls at Sciences Po at a cute little park on the Right Bank, not far from our school.  We brought wine, cheese, baguette, chocolate and macarons and sat on a park bench for a couple hours and chatted.  It was the greatest!  On our way to and from the park, we spotted French couples going Valentine's day shopping, buying roses or chocolates - after all, Paris is supposed to be the romantic city!

YES - that is an Eiffel Tower lollipop.  The French are geniuses.

In other news, last weekend I spent the whole time touring around with two friends of my friend Raph, Carol-Anne and Marie-Michelle, who both are on exchange from Ottawa U.  Carol-Anne came up from Lyon where she's on exchange, and Marie-Michelle came up from Vienna.  We had an awesome weekend being tourists, and we hit up the Hotel de Ville, Notre-Dame, my favourite bookstore Shakepeare and Company, Saint-Germain-des-Pres, les Invalides, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc the Triomphe and the Champs-Elysees.  My feet were about to fall off from so much walking!  It was worth it though, because otherwise I'll get to wrapped up in school and forget to look around the city!  Another problem is, there's just so much to do in Paris, we didn't even cover everything in a weekend.  Luckily, my friend Ashley is coming to visit next week from Birmingham so hopefully I'll get to go around everywhere with her!  So far we're planning a trip to Versailles, and maybe even to EuroDisney if we have time!

Marie-Michelle, Me, Carole-Anne and Raph in front of the Eiffel Tower all lit up!

I also booked my flight to London on the weekend of March 11-13 for me and Ash to celebrate turning 21 in Europe!  We're going to get a hostel, stay Friday-Sunday, go see Legally Blonde the Musical, and hopefully go to Hampton Court, the palace of Henry VIII!  I can't wait!