Blue skies and sunshine greeted as we started our day trip up into the north of Jordan.  We had briefly visited it on our entry into the country a couple of days back and although we driven through some beautiful countryside (it's almost like Tuscany ), we had only popped into Irbid - the city of many, many internet cafes!

Our first stop was the Ajloun Castle or Qala'at ar-Rabad built for Saladin by his nephew.  It was a strategic post for carrier pigeons and a beacon used in the wars against the Crusaders and although has been restored, is still well-worth a visit.  From the north side of the castle you can see as far as Israel and Syria but walk around a little to see Lebanon and, obviously, Jordan as well. 

Then it was onto Mar Elias and in my opinion the most beautiful site we had visited so far.  There are 2 churches here - the smallest and earliest church and the main church on the site above it.  If you go, you will have the site to yourself (a good thing!) as few people visit it.  Restorations have been kept to a bear minimum and the original mosaic floors are almost in tact with the colours and patterns still clearly visible . 

The next visit was a surprise for us as, unbeknownst to us, an invitation had been arranged for us to have a private visit to a diplomat's home in Al Himma, locally know as the Duke's Paradise .  Al Himma, which is a stone's throw away from the Golan Heights (only seperated by the Yarmouk River), and is accessed by 5 military checkpoints, used to have a public hot spring that people could visit which has been around since Roman times!  This has been closed now in preparation for a 5 star hotel being built (uuum progress??) but we were lucky enough to be able to have a bathe in a private hot spring fed by the same source that is closed off now.  Entering the Duke's Paradise is amazing as Roman artifacts are used for general decoration - even the umbrella stand is a Roman grinding wheel!  The main pool also from Roman times is filled by the Yarmouk River and the hot spring, whilst the private pool where we bathed is filled only by the hot spring.  The water is a warm 33degC and is jam-packed with beneficial minerals and salts.  It was a wrench to get out but eventually we dragged ourselves away, refreshed and relaxed, to carry on with our tour.  On leaving we passed by the accommodation which is available to visiting diplomats and dignitaries   - not for us mere mortals unfortunately!

Our last stop was Umm Qias and a magnificent example of Roman ruins built using basalt rock (black volcanic rock).  It was also the spot where we were able to see the Sea of Galilee and Tiberias . 

The amphitheatre is surprisingly in tact with the VIP seats with names carved into the rock still clearly visible - we're talking over 2000 years old. WOW! And this time, as there were no other visitors, we spent some time playing around with the acoustics spots in the theatre (no singing though!)  As we walked through the site the use of basalt rock was no clearer than in the church where they had used both marble and basalt .  And no matter how many ancient sites we visit, we are still taken aback by the engineering and the amazing precision that went into the buildings - no computerised aided design here!     Our last wander down the main street in Umm Qais, passed the shops and we were away, back to the Olive Branch Hotel, back to reality and happily exhausted after a long day out.