Jordan: Day 3

We began the day with the King Abdullah Mosque in Amman, where our guide taught us about the pillars of Islam, the call to prayer, the symbolism in the mosque, etc. It was really interesting to learn from him, and gain a better understanding of the Islamic faith. The mosque is really beautiful...I love the patterns and beautiful ceiling. 

The girls our in mosque attire: black capes and headscarves

The ruins at Amman.

 My dearest roommate Ashley (far right) doing what she does best: organizing and choreographing impromptu musical numbers. looooove her. 

 Green sweater buddies. 

The biggest and bestest pita you'll ever have. 

Courtney's face is classic.

 The ancient city of Jerash--definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

 Westle, B-strap, and Bagel. Besties. 

 love.

 Silhouette model shots. No antiquities were harmed in the making of this photo. 

 Fanny pack shot

The fateful jumping pic, which led to...

a broken shoe. dagnabbbit.

 A quick stop at the Royal Automobile Museum...so many luxurious automobiles. Parker would have died :)

I am clearly winning. 

A single serving of Nutella? Genius. Except I could probably eat the entire jar...

Jordan: PETRAfied.

PETRA. 

This place is incredible! The pictures don't even do it justice. You'll just have to believe me...or hop on a plane bound for Jordan STAT.

 We walked through the Siq canyon and this was my first view of The Treasury. Everyone remember that Indiana Jones scene? This was 18945 times cooler. And then there were camels...and we couldn't pass up taking a quick ride. Just so you know, riding camels is nothing like riding horses. But we caught on pretty quick...:)

 Photo credit for this beauty goes to Miss Bailey B.

Besties. 

 In front of the Monastery. 

 Bradshaw family pic! Jon, B, me, Sarah

Precious. 

This was definitely one of my favorite days. We spent the day hiking, riding camels, being wowed by incredible buildings carved into the mountainside, and taking an insane amount of jumping pictures. The two classes finally got to intermix, and it was so great to spend time with friends in the other class. I loved everything about this day, and only wish we had more time to explore the glories of Petra! 

Jordan: Take 1

 Antiquities and clouds. Can life get any better?

 We began a tradition of taking a Ludlow-Bradshaw sandwich photo...

'Abbey Road' reenactment

Sculpture representing Moses' staff and the brazen serpent

 An impromptu cultural dance party with the hotel staff? I think YES.

The epitome of sophistication.

Never say Negev

Sooooo I'm approximately 2 weeks behind in blogging...but everyone here is so dedicated and up to date, and I feel an immense amount of pressure to be one of the cool kids with a cool blog. Okay not really....but I really will do want to be better. So here goes!

 During our field trip to the Negev, we stopped at Lakiya Weaving, which is this amazing program for Bedouin women that allows them to earn an education and an income through their weaving.

 We got a demonstration of the weaving process, which is is pretty complicated and fascinating..

 Wool, waiting to be spun and dyed.

 Joe, Makara, y yo

Vladi and I

 Curvacious Arabian stop sign.

Exploring the ruins at Avdat--such a cool place!

 sister pic. siempre.

 Judean wilderness.

Me, Bailey, and Ethan. Classic.

One more mile to Jericho...

Yes, the title is a reference to a Hilary Duff song. And yes, it was stuck in my head for our entire day trip to Jericho.

 I have officially been to the lowest place on Earth. Woot woot!

 Amazing monastery built into the cliff

Love this girl!

these are a few of my favorite things.

Ever since visiting Andalucia in southern Spain, I have been obsessed with Islamic architecture. I love the shapes, the colors, the size, the amazing attention to detail, the beautiful Arabic script, and the combination of all these elements that is just completely breathtaking. Oh I love it so. And the Dome of the Rock has exponentially increased my love of Islamic art and architecture. 

I mean, just look at this beauty!

Needless to say, the Dome of the Rock is one of my most favorite sites in Jerusalem. And the best part is that this beauty is visible from most anywhere around the city...for example, my balcony window. :)

Another of my favorite Jerusalem sites is the Western Wall (or the Wailing Wall). The Wall is the most sacred site in Judaism, because it is the only surviving wall of the Temple Mount since the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, which was the most sacred building in the Jewish world. Now the Western Wall is a place where Jews go to offer prayers; some even write their prayers on slips of paper and place them in the cracks between the ancient stones. I love how peaceful it is here, even though it's surrounded by a busy courtyard. There is definitely a different feeling when you walk down to the Wall and into the company of so many devout people and prayers.

 The side for the men.

 .prayers and stones.

“There are people with hearts of stone, and stones with hearts of people.”

And here are a few favorites from frolicking in the Old City:

 

street carts and open air markets.

 

                          Jeru graffiti art.

Our favorite ring shopkeeper Aladeen.

My dearest friend Wesley.                          Yet another pretty door.