Last Day with the Germans: Ajloun and Jerash

Triumphal Arch build specifically for the Emperor Hadrian's visit to the most Oriental of Roman Cities

On day 8 of the German - Jordanian trip, we first visited the ancient Roman city of Jerash. It is one of the Decapolis (one of the 10 Easternmost Roman Cities in Syria and Judea), and it's extremely well-preserved. We wandered around the city a while, a even got to hear Caroline sing in the old outdoor theater (a video of which will be posted later, by the way). One cool little thing about the pillars in the city - they all sway ever so slightly. You can test this by sticking a piece of metal into a crack in the pillar and watch it move up and down. Very cool. We also got to see a bat cave - complete with bats flying inches above our heads. Most of the girls didn't like it.

There was a Roman Soldier demonstration that we saw part of, until we got shooed away by the guy who runs the business (I did not want to pay money to watch a bunch of Jordanians march out of synch).

After seeing Jerash, we checked out the castle of Ajloun, which is totally sweet. I'd been to Mar Elias (near the castle), but the castle was closed every time before. We climbed to the highest point of the castle and looked over the edge. They were filming some Jordanian music video, too.

This was the last chapter of the German Trip. I think I forgot some cities, but honestly, you get the idea. Stay tuned for the update on my trip to the Holy Land!