Jordan Dec. 10 (Part 2) and National Day

Today is National Day where we live, and tomorrow is Liberation Day. These are similar to July 4th and extremely important to the nationals, as they celebrate when the country became independent of Britain in the '60s and when it was liberated from invaders in the '90s. The best part is that it means a 4-day weekend for us; some benefits of being an educator follow us wherever we go. There are lights and decorations EVERYWHERE, and apparently the celebrations get a little crazy. I've done my grocery shopping for the week, so I may just stay in for the next few days with a book. We'll see

Jordan, Dec. 10 (Part 2)
- Walked to New W. Jerusalem toward downtown. Checked into the Caplan hotel, a poor deal compared to the last one.
- Talked about our plans for leaving. We will probably leave tomorrow after seeing the Holocaust museum. Supposed to stay in Petra Thurs., then Amman on Fri. Flight leaves Sat.
- Ate late supper at "Adom," a fancy restaurant tucked away in one of the neighborhood's alleys. I ordered calamari w/ risotto, and we shared a sweet Merlot from the Golan Heights. Syria would not be happy.
- Walked back up toward the hotel to Aldo's cafe. Shared some delicious gelato with Chris and warmed up with a hot vanilla drink. The weather is much cooler here than at home.
- Chris and I went to bed, and the guys went back out. I guess they weren't totally exhausted like us old folks.