Amazing Jordan

We spent an incredible week in Jordan during February "White week" when most people go skiing. We were thrilled with Petra, but were surprised that Jerash (a Roman city in the north that was buried in sand for 2000 years and was just dug up in the early 1800's) was just as incredible! We were human corks in the Dead Sea, and I got smeared with black Dead Sea mud, which is supposed to make you look ten years younger. I asked for three layers. We enjoyed the Syrian/Jordanian food, and the people were very friendly. Aaman was a beautiful city, and we wish that we had more time to spend there. We'd recommend a visit there to anyone. It is much more forward thinking than Egypt (and also more expensive) but has a lot to offer as far as history and beauty. We had a GREAT time there!

Driving to Friesland

Saturday we drove all the way up to northern Holland. (Past North Holland to Freisland, actually) It was a clear beautiful day, but cold and very windy by the sea. We crossed the dike with the ocean on our left and the Ijsselmee, (which I think means "ice sea", and it WAS rough, icey, and apparently half as salty as the ocean)on our right. It looks and feels like a bridge, but the water level is different on the two sides, and you can see water only on one side since the land has been built up with stones from Belgium. What a project! The Dutch are really masters of water management. They keep reclaiming more and more land from the sea, and we pay a water tax, which is used to pump the water out of the country, which is basically below sea level!
OK...here's a test. There's a picture of something in a canal in Workum. What do you think it is and what's it for? Post your comments, and I'll put the answer in my blog next week.
Freisland is ice skating country! In fact, some of the towns we visited are part of the "Elfstedentocht", the 11 town (124 mile) ice skating marathon, which they haven't held in many years due to the canals not being frozen. However, I think this will be the year since the temperature has been quite low all over the country this year.