Vine leaves, Roman Amphitheatre and Family - Amman, Jordan

After a whirlwind few days packed with family, emotions, catch ups over delicious home cooked Syrian food and very little sleep, I landed back into London yesterday.

Tabouli, stuffed vine leaves and Okra

I was in Amman, Jordan. It was a very last minute trip, more family oriented than a travelling and sight seeing one. But I couldnt resist doing at least one 'touristy' thing - I went to see the Roman Amphitheatre. Ive already been to Petra, and I would have liked to have visited again but it just wasnt the best option time wise. The dead sea is also on my list. Oh that never ending travel list!

Ammans Roman Amphitheatre

A smaller rebuilt amphitheatre next to the large Roman one

This is what the area used to look like...see the pile of rubble on the left...you can just make out the smaller amphitheatre steps - quite the restoration job dont you think?

Amman is an old city that is modernising very fast. The amphitheatre sits next to a modern park/plaza, which is overlooked by crumbling houses, which have expensive high-end cars parked out front, that compete with yellow taxis and white 'shared' taxis that operate like buses along a given route. You can be set down on a sidewalk that has a footbridge that takes up the entire space but a block away is 6-8 story mall complete with indoor electric go-carting drift track. Its a worn out cliche but Amman is really a city of contrasts.

One of the cars with local guys celebrating the Jordanian Independance day

Road side stall selling all sorts of lights and lanterns

It also happens to have been Ammans first post office too

But all of that was just the back drop to being able to see my mum and brother, its been over a year since I last saw them. I alsohad the chance to catch up with my aunt and uncle and their families, and meet my little cousins. I also put my rusty arabic to some practice. It really is quite shocking to realise how much I forget! I have to relearn how to express myself and communicate while knowing exactly what I want to say in English, frustrating!

Whirlwind as it was, when I arrived home yesterday, all I could manage was to fall into bed and sleep. But it was wonderful and totally worth it.


Have you ever done any crazy last-minute trips?

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Athens, The Acropolis, Plaka and Greek food! Hello Greece!

I have been meaning to write about my trip to Athens for a while now. Each time I've approached it i had a bout of writers block. I don't intend that to reflect negatively on Athens, not at all, i quite enjoyed my time there. If fact i was utterly surprised by how cool it was given how many people told me it was a sh!thole. My first day there made such an impression that the idea of not seeing more and just heading off to Metora as i'd originally planned had to be reconsidered (though the idea of rushing around after the craziness of Italy may also have had something to do with it).

The Acropolis at night

Anyway, what should i share with you? What do you want to know? There is just so much i hardly know where to start. The open air cinema with a view of the Acropolis? Walking around the Plaka area, the vibe, shops and restaurants? The visit to the Acropolis itself and the gorgeous view? Eating my way through Athenian restaurants and their rooftop terraces? The walk around the Acropolis where the street is lined with handmade necklaces, leather bracelets, wallets, old records made into art and everything in between? The people, how friendly, helpful and cheeky they were? Take your pick, for three days, there were plenty of good experiences.

Yay! Made it to the Parthenon

The food

It is easy to eat yourself silly in Athens. The food is fresh, delicious, generous, and cheap. The restaurants and cafes, even in the "touristy" spots, are easy going and don't mind you taking your time and just sitting relaxing, chatting and enjoying yourself. Simple favourites were tzatziki, Greek salad and Dolmades. I did try several different mains and i wasn't disappointed, everything was good!

Drinks with friends before dinner

Taking a walk

One of the best free things i can recommend doing in Athens is simply taking a walk around the Plaka area and around the Acropolis.
From the Monastiraki metro just meander along whichever street takes your fancy before heading along the Andrianou. This will take you along a street that will have shops and restaurants on your right and a view of the Acropolis on your left.
Take the first left you come to and walk along Apostolou Pavlou and then Dionissiou Areopagitou. This route will take you around the Acropolis along a street lined with restaurants, cafes, bars and lots of vendors selling hand made jewellery, wallets and other crafts. I found a chocolate cafe here with a lovely view of the Acropolis as the sun set. It will also take you past the outdoor cinema.
The end of the walk will find you at the Akropolis metro station. Its a really nice walk to do day or night. Do the whole thing or in parts, either way you will enjoy it.

Cafe rooftop terrace with view of Acropolis

Not sure where or what this is, i just stumbled across it in my wanderings.

The history

There are a lot of archaeological sites in Athens, the Acropolis being the most famous. The stunning views out over Athens are worth the climb to the top. I'd downed my bottle of water on the climb up and was happy to find a bubbler (water fountain) to refill it and a cool breeze to cool me by the edge of the site while taking it all in. Sitting at the top, facing south-west, the sea was on my right and, on my left the entire city was laid out in front of me. I could spot all sorts of other sites from there and get a good look at my surroundings.

Almost to the top...

Erechtheion - one of the temples in the Acropolis

View from the top of the Acropolis - Looking out over the Odeum of Herodes Atticus (ruin) and Filopapou Hill

Has that inspired you to check out Athens? I hope so! Here are some tips for finding your way. If you have been already, what did you enjoy about the city?


Getting to Athens from the Airport
Both the metro and rail connected directly to the city. I hopped onto the metro line (8 Euros) and after an hour found myself at my hotel. Nice and simple.

Getting around Athens
The best way is via metro. It is cheap (4 Euros for a 24 hour pass) easy to use, reaches all the main attractions, is safe, clean (relatively- some lines are older and trains have graffiti on the outside) and reliable. For info on Athens transport have a look at this site.

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Top 4 tips for visting Herculineum (Ercolano) and Pompeii

Herculaneum, also know as Ercolano, is an archaeological site of a town that was ruined in 79AD following the eruption of Mt Vesuvius. Pompeii was ruined in the same eruption. Although smaller, Heculaneum better preserved than Pompeii is.

The overwhelming feeling of walking around both sites is awe...its so hard to believe that this was once the homes of people who worked, lived, loved and laughed. They had their own lives, their own stories, beliefs, dramas and woes. All that was obliterated. All that's left is the skeleton of their houses, the streets they walked. If you ever thought you had forever, this will change that.

Ercolano was amazing. Being able to walk into someones home, step on their mosaic floors and see the same fresco walls they would have seen everyday is staggering. The other difficult thing to take is that this town (like Pompeii) was by the sea. The eruption moved the coastline away from it, you can still glimpse it off in the distance from the site, between the buildings that now occupy space. The sheer scale Pompeii is impressive, after all, it was a city. Its boasts two theatres, a gladiator coliseum which is well preserved and a gymnasium where they found ancient graffiti in the change rooms. The most amusing feature is the raised stones used to cross the road when it was flooded every day to clean it.

The eerie side of the coin is that in both Pompeii and Ercolano, you can see some of the "statues" taken of people who had died and been petrified in a recognisable state.


My top 4 tips for visiting Ercolano and Pompeii are:

1. Visit Ercolano first then go to Pompeii. Seeing Ercolano will allow you to imagine Pompeii better
2. Give yourself plenty of time for each. I spent a good few hours at both though i could have easily spent more. If you are squeezed for time, you can do both in a day, but be smart and choose what you really want to see.
3. Take the local train - its cheap, easy to follow and gives you a feel for typical travel in the region
4. Get an audio guide - if there are two of you, take a set of earphones that way you can share and save a little.

Till you get there yourself, here are some photos. Enjoy!


Ercolano

The streets of Ercolano

Ercolano colonnaded street

Ercolano - two level home

An Ercolano lunch restaurant with fresco

View of the site of Ercolano - how weird would it be to live in the newer houses that overlook this site?

The homes of Ercolano

Two story Ercolano school for freed slaves.

Fresco walls of an Ercolano home

A courtyard and mosaic floor of an Ercolano home

Fresco walls of an Ercolano home

Stunning bathroom mosaic

Beautiful mosaic floors of communal bath area

Cast of petrified Ercolano resident - it is not the actual body, when found there was a process to make this cast

Views of Pompeii

Pompeii archway near the temple of Jupiter

Pompeii theatre

Pompeii forum

Pompeii artifacts, you can see another cast of a petrified resident

Pompeii forum

Pompeii coliseum / amphitheatre

Inside the Pompeii coliseum / amphitheatre

Gladiator barracks

A doorway from the forum

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Photos of Palmyra and the Temple of Bel - Syria

Palmyra. Pick up any tourist brochure about Syria and undoubtedly you will see a picture of this ancient city somewhere on it, if not on the cover.



This is the place that people usually come to see. It is impressive to say the least and the grounds cover such a vast area. Several places (such as museums, the Temple of Bel, the tombs) charge entry fees but you can visit and wander the grounds for free. Unfortunately i only had time to visit the Temple of Bel and wander the grounds.

Let me make a few suggestions. If you want to visit this place I highly recommend doing it over 2 days and staying at the Zenobia Hotel if you can afford it because it is right at the site. I didn't spend the night but i ate lunch there and it was great being able to just sit there and take in the view of Palmyra. Also after all the day tourists (like me) have gone, you have the place to yourself. I was there till sunset and it really is something spectacular. If you want to travel around Syria, do it towards the end of summer (so around this time or even later is best) because it is still hot but not so much that its unbearable and there is no shelter at many of the historical sites. Take a hat, sunblock and plenty of water!

OK on to the photos.

First up Palmyra's Monumental Arc taken as i was walking towards the Temple of Bel. The next is taken from the steps of the Temple of Bel looking out at the Monumental Arc and the Porticoed Way which leads down past the Tetrapylon (third photo) to the Funerary Temple and other sites.



The Temple of Bel. The photo is taken from within the grounds as the Temple is walled all the way around. The next one is of the "Entrance" to the site which houses the ticket office.



On the left is the actual main entrance into the Temple. The right is a random photo taken from the grounds looking out to the ruined Castle that is part of Palmyra.



Below is the passage which is believed to have been used to bring in sacrificial animals into the temple. And an artsy shot of the columns of the passage from the temples windows.



Lastly Palmyra at sunset, I don't think the photos do it justice though.



Hope you enjoyed this little photo tour. I really had a great time at Palmyra and would love to go there again and see more of it, maybe even spend the night. Its such a breath taking place. To stand there among the amazing ruins and to try to imagine what that city would have been like, the people who lived there and how their lives were cant help but leave an impression.

Wishing you all happy travels and explorations.

VP

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Photo tour of Apamea - Syria

Apamea, amazing.



Also known as Afamia, it is home to the longest roman colonnaded road in the world. Apeama is named after the wife of a former general to Alexander the Great. It used to be a great city, very prosperous, wealthy and fertile. I'll spare you the history lesson and just get on with the photos but i do recommend finding out more, it really is very interesting.



On the way to Apamea, the first thing you see is the Citadel. It is still inhabited and has grown so much it has extended beyond its original walls. Unfortunately I didn't see it. Being such a full day already we didn't have much time. At the site of the ruins you can see clearly how the citadel stands.



Apamea is one of those places which is not very touristy at all...yes you get the odd person trying to sell you something but mostly it was deserted. Other than one other tour bus group there was hardly anyone there. There has been some excavation work and some attempts at restoring certain aspects of the old city. It really is an incredible sight, the sheer scale of the city, the grooves in the roads made from chariots makes your spine tingle.



You can walk around anywhere and touch everything - you could probably pick up a piece of the city and take it home and no one would notice! Of course I'm kidding about that, aside from Syria being very strict about its artifacts, no one should take something from a historical site. Take a look at this photo...it really broke my heart. This piece is beautiful, it could have been the top most piece of a column or something similar but it lies in the sand partially eroded and broken...and theres lots more like that...carry on luggage anyone??

Where was I? Right, Apamea was ruined by earthquakes several times and was rebuilt but finally after the last one that shook the region and devastated the city, it was never rebuilt. But it is beautiful still.

On to the photos...

1) A facade of what is believed to be shopfronts

2) A view of the 2km long road

3 and 4) The Portico

5) the Portico and the Votive column which marks a major intersection







VP

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