We leave the Dead Sea area at 6:30 AM this morning for the final day of our visit, returning to Amman and the Regency Palace Hotel for our last overnight.
In the morning we visit the Schneller School, an elementary school and vocation training center for Jordanian boys operated by the Anglican Church, and directed by a very charismatic Jordanian priest. From there we move on to the Citadel, the site of a Roman fortress that represents another one of the original Decapolis cities of the Roman Empire. On the grounds of the Citadel we tour a museum containing Jordanian artifacts dating back over 12,000 years.
We had hoped to visit the Gold Market in Amman in the afternoon, but due to Ramadan and the difficulty of scheduling around the abbreviated hours the Market is in operation during this season, we were unable to do this. Instead, we wind up sating our lust for souvenirs at the Holy Land Gift Shop in Amman,` which is sort of like a Middle Eastern version of Spencer’s Gifts.
Then it is back to the Regency Palace for our final night’s check in, and a very late lunch. Since the Ramadan “breaking the fast” meal starts at 5 PM, there are only sandwiches available to us. We consume our American-style food in the deserted dining room.
At 7 PM we convene for our final meal. Drew leads us in a short communion service around the dinner table, and we end our final evening in fellowship and conversation. Our bus departs for the airport at 6:30 AM tomorrow morning, so most of the group retires shortly after dinner to pack and rest up for the long flight home.