It’s full on winter here in Cottbus. With snow on the ground and temperatures not rising above freezing for the past few days, I’ve had plenty of time to hide indoors and comb through my last set of photos from the winter break travels. Ahhh, to think that just two weeks ago there was so. much. SUN.
Here’s the last set of pictures, including our adventures in Petra, Jordan. Jordan? I can hear you ask. I thought you were in Israel? Well, yes, but you know what they say…tomato, ta-Jordan.
We headed out of Tel Aviv and were able to get a ride down to the Israel/Jordan border crossing. The drive was through gorgeous desert landscapes, and we stopped a few times for quick hike explorations. Double bonus round: at the Mitzpe Ramon crater, we met this cute fella.
Getting across the border wasn’t challenging, and we eventually made it to our first stop of the trip — Wadi Rum, a protected nature zone in Jordan. It was STUNNING, all harsh cliffs and beautiful dunes and hardy scrub plants and have I mentioned that I LOVE deserts?
That night, the sky was incredible — all the stars were super clear, and the light pollution was practically nonexistent. I was so excited about the gorgeous night that I tried my hand at night photography. What’s that, you can’t see anything in the picture below except a black box? Try turning your computer screen illumination up (TO ELEVEN) and witness the barely visible results of my very first (ever!) night sky photography attempt. Now pretend like you’re basking in starlight…..ah yes, that’s the ticket.
We only spent one night in Wadi Rum, but realistically we could have spent several days. The morning after we arrived, we woke up to see the sunrise, snap some quick pics of frost on the ground (evidence of how cold it got the night before…literally freezing! in a desert! nature is great.), and then hopped into a truck bound north for Petra.
For those of you who don’t know the name Petra, it’s an archaeological city dating back over two thousand years. Think enormous carved buildings set into rock….and just in case that doesn’t ring any bells, you may recognize it from the background of this little movie called Indiana Jones.
Or a pic may help jog your memory.
Did I mention that it’s set in a series of sprawling canyons, covering over one hundred square miles? Yeah. I know. HUGE.
And while the pic above is a nice overview of the landscape and setting, what you may not be able to see are the winding canyon paths and how many KAJILLIONS of buildings there are, carved all over into the rock.
Did we go scrambling on a quest for the highest viewpoint? Well…just a little.
And of course, the most famous monument of them all…the Treasury!*
*Note: This building was not actually a treasury. Ever. Just like pretty much every structure in Petra, it was actually a tomb. **
**Double note: Seriously. Petra was all tombs, all the time. Every sign and helpful info plaque we read repeated the same basic story…”People used to think this was a (treasury/house/store/jail/whatever) but it turns out it was a tomb all along.”
Case in point, a tomb:
Many tombs at a distance:
And back to the most famous tomb, featuring two rogue ninjas, dressed in traditional ninja black (can you spot them? good luck.):
And with that nostalgic trip down a sun-filled memory lane, I’m back to the snowy temps of Cottbus. The past week has been a game of catch-up with schoolwork and friends. Now we’re into our last month of school before finals — wish me luck!
Leave A Comment