May 28

Madaba by Giam

We spent a couple of hours walking along the streets of Madaba – checking out tourist goods, finding a really nice carpet shop, selecting one and sealing the purchase with mint tea, then we left and on to Jerash. The road passes Amman(on the right, a really spread-out city of 2 million), and all the market gardens which serve it (loads of plastic tents, and colourful fruit/veg/flower stalls along the roadside).

Jerash by NH53

We reached Jerash (one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the Middle East) around noon and spent a couple of hours walking among its hilly ruins, ending up watching a (hilarious!) re-enactment of the VI Legion practice, gladiator fights and a chariot race in the excellently preserved hippodrome. It had rained overnight and the weather was a lot cooler than on previous days!

We had enough time to drive further north to Ajlun and visit the Moslem castle of Ar Rabad, along some narrow, steep and winding roads, overlooking biblical-like fields complete with goats and goatherds. This is a lovely little castle (12^th Century again), but not built or occupied by Franks, and parts were better preserved than the more famous (and much larger) Kerak. While off the foreign-tourist route, it was being well visited by Jordanians. We ran out of time/left for “next time” the castle of Umm Qais – rather further north and giving a good view over the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights

Ar Rabad by Dale Gillard

We decided to head to Amman and try and stay an earlier night at the hotel I’d booked for our last night. Finding the hotel was not possible at all (more to the point, getting anywhere close to the hotel was impossible), we flagged down a taxi, who made a couple of calls and then we followed him to our hotel. Taxis in Amman are cheap and over half an hour of his trouble cost 10 JDs! The hotel itself is fine (apparently won Trip Finder’s “Best 4 star hotel in 2010” award) and found us a room for the night. It’s located in the upscale, business/ex-pat district, and we found a supermarket close by (Food City) where we wandered around…dinner at an extremely loud coffee shop (everyone was on the patio enjoying the Barcelona-Manchester football game, the former being the local favourites; we opted for quieter and sat inside). We enjoyed local sandwiches and ended with a shared shiesha. The cab home was 1 JD.

Thinking of travelling to Jordan? Check out these great travel books...

Gerry will be sharing her travels through Egypt and Jordan in a multimedia presentation as part of our 2011 Travel Day on October 29th. Check out this great day of programs on our homepage or through our program guide.

Photo courtesy of www.lottieanddoof.com

As soon as I spotted these glistening, sweet jellies on the adorable food blog Lottie and Doof, I knew they had to be mine. And, with new crop apples appearing in our fruit stands and markets, what better time to whip these up than right now? I am drawn to the blush pink tone, the firm, thick essence of apple residing in each bite, the crunch of sugar crystals in the mouth. In fact, I cannot think of a better project for this afternoon. . . . .

Thank you, Lottie and Doof!

Apple Jellies

• 3 pounds of apples (about 8), washed, quartered and cored
• 1 cup water
• 1+1/2 cups sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon

Start by lightly rubbing an 8-by-8-inch square baking pan with a flavorless vegetable oil (canola or safflower). Line pan with parchment and lightly oil parchment.

In a large pot combine the apples and the water and cook over medium heat until soft, about 20 minutes.

Pass the mixture through a food mill or sieve. Return the puree to the pot and stir in the sugar and lemon juice.

Simmer over low heat, stirring often, for about 1 hour. As the mixture cooks and reduces, it starts to thicken and bubble. Scrape the bottom of the pan while stirring to make sure nothing is sticking and burning. The puree is done when it holds a mounded shape. To be sure, you can chill a small amount on a plate in the freezer. It should appear and feel jellied.

Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Cool for several hours or overnight. When cooled completely, invert onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Remove the top layer of parchment paper. Leave to dry, uncovered, overnight. The paste should be firm enough to cut. If for some reason it is not, put the paste in a 150° F oven for an hour or more until firm. Let cool completely before cutting. The paste can be stored whole, wrapped tightly in plastic. Or trim the edges and cut into 1-inch pieces before wrapping. Store at room temperature or refrigerated for up to a year. Before serving toss the pieces in granulated sugar.

If the first photo didn't convince you to try these, here is another one to tempt you. . . .

Photo courtesy of www.lottieanddoof.com

Do something special with the apple harvest this fall with our help:

"There are many paths to enlightenment. Be sure to take one with a heart." - Lao Tzu

All roads lead to enlightenment--but the choice of which to travel is yours. From Sedona to Lourdes to Mecca, there are certain divinely blessed places that can inspire you to renew your sense of wonder, revitalize your spirit, and restore your faith. (Syndetics)

Check out these other books that might take you on the paths of enlightenment.

Looking for a contemplative time of renewal? Why not consider staying in a monastery?

We also have these guidebooks for Italy and France.

In 2009 the Calgary Public Library launched its first three-year eco-action plan. Although the Library has been in the business of “reuse” since 1912, a formalized plan was needed to establish far-reaching targets, provide a framework that was congruent with the organizational culture, and articulate the Library’s commitment to sustainability.

How did we do? Well, a few of our achievements include:

• Implementation of a corporate sponsorship program to engage for-profit businesses in programs, events and services with a goal of “Reaching Calgarians To Engage, Educate And Inspire Action to Create A Sustainable City and World”
• Established eco nooks and eco champs at Library locations
• Hosted a very successful environmentally themed children’s’ summer reading program, Eco Heroes, and connected with over 50,000 school children
• Established the annual Ecopalooza Family Fair (now in its second very successful year!)
• Expanded green programming: in 2010 over 110 green programs were offered at the Library
• Elimination of plastic bags at the checkout, and introduction of a stylish, reusable library bag made of recycled material
• Completed a LEED renovation of Signal Hill Library and aspiring for LEED Gold Saddletowne Library (opening in 2012)
• Recycling expanded to include plastics, batteries, fluorescent and CF lamps and compost
• Energy reduced by over 18% and increasing use of green power
• Paper use decreased by 4% since 2009

This year the Calgary Public Library was very proud to be a finalist for the environmental Emerald Award, sponsored by the Alberta Emerald Foundation. Here is our CEO, Gerry Meek, profiling the Library’s role in greening the community:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNUfBOAFmDk

We are now drafting our eco-action plan for 2012-2014. We are excited about the possibilities, and welcome comments and suggestions from the community.

May 27

Dead Sea by Salem

Up relatively early and we went down to beat potential crowds to the mudding area. Lots of fun flinging mud and “helping” each other to be thoroughly covered. We then went into the Dead Sea to laze and maximize the experience. Showered off and returned to our room via a dip in every pool we could find (quite a few!). Then we had breakfast, leaving enough time for Anna and me to re-dip in pools and check-out the spa’s shop.

Dead Sea by eviljohnius (This is not Gerry or her family!)

Just along the road north is the site of John the Baptist’s baptismal of JC in theJordan. We thought a quick look might be interesting, but it’s all or nothing: an hour-long tour with English audio guide of the local guide. Apart from being horribly hot, I thought it was quite interesting, but some in our party were overcome by the religiosity of the occasion! We dunked toes in the (green and slimy!) Jordan and took a small sample. This tour runs every half-hour or so with 20 people; at one point you are over-looking the Israeli equivalent point and there was absolutely no one there. At that point we also were accompanied by a Jordanian border guard. The site is dedicated to all sects and as well as existing churches and remains of ancient ones, several more are being constructed.

After this heat it was a great relief to head back up into the Rift Valley heights and we made for Madaba – world-famous site for early Christian mosaics. We found the guidebook-recommended hotel by looking lost and a kindly local had us follow him there! Once checked in we went to explore. Since it was getting late we weren’t certain that the churches would all be open, and they weren’t, but we saw the main sights: St George’s Greek Orthodox church with the amazing mosaic map of the Holy Land, and then on to the Archeology Museum (“My brother lives in Canada”, but this time, amazingly in Edmonton and not in Montreal!).

Medaba by isawnyu

We found a really nice restaurant in a restored old house, serving Jordanian specialties (yum!). We all had lamb, but very different: Anna had ground lamb in pita, Colin had grilled lamb chunks and I had lamb and onions cooked in a “wok” and served over a burner at the table. The hummus was garnished with wonderful roasted pine nuts, which set me off the next day to find some!