It's the beginning of the weekend and, after a long but productive week, a real holiday isn't in the cards.  But one can always armchair travel.  And so I just did and am once again sharing my sojourn to Jordan with you:

http://www.redroom.com/galleryimage/mosaic-map-jerusalem-st-georges-church-madaba-this-mosaic-enormous-historical-significa

This time, however, my poor aching brain is so fried, I'm so sleep deprived, I jumped all over the place, like a grasshopper, not resting in a single spot for long.  I hope you enjoy the images of this archaeologically and historically rich country.  If you've been following along, you can see that I am a bit of a culture vulture, slightly biased toward castles and ruins and places that transport me to other times, other places, worlds that stimulate a fertile imagination. 

Jordan is home to so many ancient, beautiful mosaics.  The town of Madaba is the keeper of countless Byzantine-era masterworks, and I've included a few examples over which you can marvel.  To some extent, the creation and restoration of mosaics is becoming a lost art in the region, though thankfully efforts are under way to revive the form at the Madaba Mosaic School.  Had circumstances permitted, I would've loved to have taken some classes there.  Another interesting fact about Madaba is that it is the most important Christian center in Jordan (yes, there are Arab Christians!).  The ratio of Muslims to Christians in Madaba is approximately two to one.

Hope you enjoy this new photo gallery.  Next time I will try to be a little better organized.  :-)  TGIF!