Amman is the capital of Jordan. Usually people stop here before they visit the famous Dead Sea and Petra. I recently spent a weekend and although it wasn’t to explore I still managed to see quite a few places. Here are some photos with more details on the trip.
OLD VIEW CAFE, located near the historic ‘Rainbow Street’ is a great place to take a break to view Amman and also play backgammon. You can have drinks and also have a bite. It gets busy at night but is pretty empty during the day.
More photos from THE OLD VIEW CAFE.
Amman is a seven-hilled city (just like Istanbul!) so there are a lot of stairs to get around in the city. Pictured above is an interesting one I ran into.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: This looks amazing! And it does, but I must warn you that the photos of this street are more beautiful than the actual street which is not really a street but a staircase connecting two streets. Nevertheless the street, located near Rainbow Street, is a popular picnic stop for locals and has a nice cafe called Jafra Cafe. (You can find the street by searching for the cafe)
Next to Al Shamasi (the umbrellas) Stairs
THE BOULEVARD. We went there in the evening so this isn’t the best photo, but the Boulevard is the place to be. It could be considered an open mall, filled with shops, restaurants etc. There was a huge variety of places, they even had a small arcade. The Boulevard was filled with shops and cafes that I’ve never seen before as well as a few well-known places. Definitely spend some time here!
A painting in a gallery in The Boulevard. Yes, there is a gallery too!
Tea at ‘Chez Hilda’ in the Boulevard. Yes, the cup is empty but the tea I chose is in the tea bag on the left.
The entrance
THE DEAD SEA is the lowest point on Earth at -430m. It is 8.6 times more salty then average ocean water. The salt makes floating easy, which is helpful because it doesn’t feel very good when you get that water in your eyes (don’t try it) or your mouth. If you have scars or wounds on your body – I don’t recommend going into the water, the scars will burn.
The Dead Sea isn’t too far from Amman – only about an hour, therefore we decided to go. There are a few hotels that offer day passes and also some that have private beaches that you can access if you are staying overnight. The floating experience is amazing and the water with the mineral-rich black mud will improve your skin; relieve acne and other skin conditions.
Swimming, or to be frank, floating in the Dead Sea is definitely something you should do in your lifetime. And it’s shrinking very quickly so I recommend you do it soon.
The Dead Sea
The road back from the Dead Sea