Mount Nebo

And I continue, among too many other things, to try and clear pictures and get caught up on blogging. Sometimes when I consider the sheer number of posts I need to produce it's rather daunting, which is awfully stupid considering that I started this blog and no one actually reads it but me. Maybe the point of this blog is, well, what journals were supposed to be, a mechanism for me to remind myself of things I did and thought; it's essentially an online version of Leonard's tattoos from Memento. Here are a few pictures from the March 2018 trip to Jordan, specifically a visit to Mount Nebo. I'm guessing that it was my third or fourth visit to Mount Nebo. Actually, whenever I'm in the chaos of planning a student trip and I'm facing the inevitable time crunch I'm tempted to cut the excursion there, which is ridiculous (and more than a bit of a crime) because the students always enjoy it there. Some of them, in fact, find it quite moving. If we are to believe sacred history Mount Nebo is where Moses had his fleeting glimpse of the Holy Land before dying. On a clear day it does provide a spectacular view. Now it is dominated by a Christian church, which rests on top of a series of ancient mosaics; so, like so much of the region, it's a lovely and messy mix of traditions. It's on the itinerary for November's trip, so I'll be back there before I know it. We always end up stopping at Mount Nebo and Madaba on the way from Amman to the Wadi Rum. It makes for a long day, but a beautiful ride.

The view towards the west, and Israel, is dominated by this highly stylized cross.

Naturally, like most of Jordan, there's a lot of history whichever way you look.

The interior of the church. Much of the foundation is ancient, but the present church is fairly new.

The interior is unique because in some ways it feels very modern but it's also sitting on top of ancient mosaics, so it is also designed to protect and celebrate them.

A closeup of the lower right hand corner of the larger mosaic above. I probably did this because I knew her camel ride was coming up the next day (once we finally made it to the Wadi Rum).

My student Emma posing, unwillingly, in front of the cross.

A great picture of Cyndi and my student Michael (who went on three student trips with me: Zanzibar, India/Sri Lanka and Jordan). I can say without reservation that he loved Jordan most of all.