Friday Market

Despite strong resistance from the kids, we were able to get them down to Rainbow Street for the Friday market. As usual, though they complain about leaving the house, once they are out, they are the better for it. There are several markets on Friday mornings around Amman, selling local cuisine, foodstuffs, and wares. Rainbow Street is one of the hippest neighborhoods in town, so we were eager to see what local wonders the market withheld. 

The kids were pretty much sold by the bees. Sam was even able to spot the queen bee. (Can you see it in this picture?) The bees were at the stall of a purveyor of local honey. 

Elise and Clementine are not really sunburnt in this picture; they're standing under a red tent. Also, red was the Adidas track suit worn by another of the purveyors. Naturally, she wore a hijab with her bright-red track suit and tennis shoes. 

Elise and the kids were also drawn the gemstones. Elise bought a quartz obelisk and placed an order for a specially-made crystal necklace we're going to pick up next Friday. 

Books!

You can see some of the hills in Amman from this photo. The market overlooks downtown and the Citadel, to the right. The Citadel marks the historic center of Amman. With evidence of human civilization dating back as far as the Neolithic period, it is one of the oldest continuously-occupied inhabited places. The Roman Temple of Hercules is in the far right of the frame, and the flag of Jordan, reputedly one of the largest flags in the world, occupies the far left. 

After lunch at Books@Cafe, a bookstore and restaurant just off Rainbow Street, the kids were yearning to go home, while Elise was yearning to continue wandering and take pictures. Then, Sam had to go to the bathroom. The scene was rife with tension, not fun on a hot Friday afternoon in the center of the city, waiting for an Uber to whisk us home. That being said, the highlights definitely outweighed the low.