Breakfast Review II: Le Royal Amman

While I was still in the middle of packing for our holidays, I still managed to enjoy one more breakfast with the other mums and babies. We decided to try out the breakfast at Le Royal Hotel.

View of the hotel from Zahran Street

The hotel is located on 3rd circle, very impressive with its 31 floors and 13 food & beverage outlets. We had our breakfast high up, sorry I can't remember what floor, but to be honest it doesn't matter cause the restaurant is located in the middle of the building so there is no fancy view! A shame it would have added to the experience.

The breakfast was average. The pastries were nice, Bibs loved them and swallowed 2 mini croissants in an eye beat. I didn't like the omelette, the pancakes were fluffy but just common. The greeting was nice and the waiters looked after us, however I needed to leave before my friends because Bibs was too tired and me thinking about my luggage: I left my 16JDs on the table with my friends. One of the waiters actually stopped me and asked if I had paid as I was leaving the restaurant. hmm not my idea of service when there are still people sitting at my table. 

So, not the best in town, probably the least interesting we have had so far.

From our Kitchen: Babs' yummy gingerbread cakes

Today I had Bobs at home as it was a holiday, Islamic New Year, so I decided to start my Christmas bakes.

It is a classic, Gingerbread cake, but instead of doing one big cake from which I slice, I prefer to make them in smaller versions...

What you need:

260 gr all purpose flour
1 tsp (5gr) baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/8 ground cloves
115 gr unsalted butter @ room temp
100 gr light brown sugar
2 large eggs
Zest of an orange
120ml molasses
240ml milk

Orange icing (optional)
150 gr sifted icing sugar
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
 
How to make them:

Preheat the oven at 175 degrees C (350 F) with the rack in the centre. Butter and flour the form or a 23cm round/square cake pan. The sides have to be high.

In a bowl mix the flour, baking soda and spices.
In a second bowl, beat the butter and sugar till light and well blended (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at the time and beat well in between. Continue to beat and add the orange zest and the molasses. Add the dry mixture and the milk, alternating, starting and finishing with the flour mixture.

Add the mixture in the form or the cake pan, leaving a bit of space for the mixture to rise while baking. The small cakes will take about 12-15 minutes, one large one about 40-45 minutes. To check if the cakes are done insert a tooth-stick, if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. Let cool off in form for about 10 minutes, before removing it and leaving it to cool off completely.

Icing - optional, but gives a nice touch. Better on a large cake.
Mix the icing sugar and juice until smooth, the icing is thick but can be spread.
You can also add minced fresh ginger, nuts or use lemon instead of the orange...

I found the form with the small men and Christmas trees at Istiklal in Sweiffeh.

The Ultimate Christmas Shop! and a little bit of art

Yesterday I was walking with Bibs around in Sweffieh. It's really an area that is worth exploring and I need to do some posts about it. Anyway, I had seen this Christmas shop that I wanted to check out. This is the place to go if you need golden balls for your tree, Christmas napkins, candles (you know the ones that smell of X-mas) or other decorations. The Ultimate Christmas Shop.

You love Christmas? You need that shop. The napkins are only 1 or 2JD max and he has lots of different ones. The decorations are not expensive either. Oh and he plays Christmas carols!

The reason I went to Sweffieh in the first place was to pick up some prints we wanted to get framed. There is a shop called Top Art, the guy is very good and we got 12 prints and paintings framed in only 5 days! It is also a gallery and they sell lots of different kind of paintings, they have something like 4 or 5 floors only with art. When we went last week I noticed two paintings by a Jordanian artist and I really liked them, yesterday they were still there so I decided that that meant I should buy them!

They represents scenes of life as they can be found in caves in Wadi Rum. I don't really know from what era, but my guess is that it is a very long time ago! The one on the left represents a woman putting her child to sleep and the one on the right a person harvesting in the top corner and one making fire underneath.

Prepare yourselves for some more posts about Christmas, it's my favourite season of the year and I must admit, it's a bit difficult to know that I won't be with my parents, sis and her kids this year! But not all is bad: Bobs' parents are coming so that's good.

Happy Christmas Preparations!

Back in Amman 2: Karak Castle

To get to Karak you can take the Dead sea highway or the King's highway (through Wadi Mujib) where the scenery is much more exciting, but it would be a bit too long for Bibs - she tends to get very bored in the car. So we took the Desert highway, the fastest way to get there. We managed to find Karak and the castle without getting lost, not thanks to the signs though...

a sign, with some remains from the elections

view of the castle

The castle, probably the largest in Jordan, from the Crusaders' time, was built in 20 years and finished in 1161, when it became the residence of the lord of Transjordan (the most important fief of the Crusader kingdom, as it was rich in both produce and tax revenues). But long before the crusaders arrived in the region (some 29 centuries ago), the fortress of Kir Heres (or Kir-Haresesth) is mentionned several times in the Bible, like in the Book of Kings (2 King 3:25): "In the end, there was only Kir-hareseth left, which the slingers surrounded and battled." - a descritpion of the Israelites assaulting Moab and taking the fortress. There is also another version of this event: which is the famous Mesha Stele or Moabite Stone. The site being this old came obviously also in the hands of the Nabateans (the ones from Petra). There is one small remain from the 2nd century AD.

Nabataean Relief

It is the bust of a man - unfortunately he has lost his head, but it has been identified as a funerary monument of a Nabataean cavalryman. 

View towards the Dead Sea and Israel

View South towards the Lower Court

The views are spectacular. It is said that on a clear day you can see as far as the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. 

There is a small museum presenting findings from Karak and the Moab region.

Entrance to the Museum (lower court)

There is a small leaflet availbale at the visitor's center. It is well made with lots of information. The trouble is only that it is not that easy to know exactly where you are in the castle, so it is good to have the leaflet at all times and follow the small plan. A guide kind of just took us along (we paid him 2jd) and he showed us some of the things. It is also possible to rent audio equipment for 5jd. Depending on how much you want to know about the site. As usual I feel that I don't know enough, so when my parents come next year I'll probably go back for a second round.

The castle is built in 2 levels (upper court and lower court), as can be seen clearly on the pictures beneath. There are 2 main periods: the Crusaders, late 12 century and the Mamluk, 13th to 15th century. 

Crusader Galleries

Upper court - inside view of the Crusader Gate 

You can walk around completely freely in the castle. There are a few signs along the way, but there are places where we wouldn't have gone without the guide, like the prison or the dormitories. The entry to the castle is 1JD for tourists and 150fils for residents. It is not a stroller friendly site, there are steps everywhere. Bibs enjoyed walking around, picking up stones and being carried a little bit as well, when down in the prison cells. There are no lights whatsoever in the underground vaults, only small openings here and there in the ceiling or the walls so the guide was walking around with a flash-light.

The castle is a must visit in Jordan. Then there is also the city of Karak. It used to be completely fortified and there are still towers and hidden entrances to the castle around the city. There are plenty places to eat and drink around the castle should it be lunch time.

Back in Amman 1: a French Breakfast @ Paul's

So we are back! Back from our fab holidays. Yesterday we decided to use a little bit of our stored energy and make the drive to Karak to visit its castle.

 

We started with a stop at Paul's for a French breakfast. The croissant was soft and warm and yummy. The baguette, the closest you get to a very good bread in Amman. Even if it is located in a mall, the atmosphere is quite nice, nearly French. They have several options for breakfast (healthy, continental, rich in fiber, low in salt...). We both took the continental, which includes: a warm drink, fresh orange juice, a pastry, a half baguette with jams and butter, for a total of 7JD (inc tax) / per person. Even the coffee is good.

Bibs was a bit hungry, she got a hand on my croissant before the picture!

We then started the drive southwards, about an hour and a half on the desert highway.

Away From Amman: a postcard from Reunion Island

So I lied... I thought my post would be from Mauritius but it is from Reunion Island. As usual holidays go way too fast. What have we been up too: a small stay at The Residence and one at the Grand Mauritian; lots of food, scuba diving and now a trip to Reunion Island, with more food, more sun and good times with family and friends.

It is the first time I come to Reunion Island and it is beautiful.



In the South of the Island, not far from St Pierre



Lava from the big Volcano eruption

  

Anse des Cascades - Ste Rose

Market this morning in St Denis

Lots and lots of things to write about and some amazing pics to come...

Away from Amman: The Blue Penny and the Waterfront

The Caudan Waterfront has become over the years a tourist hot spot in Port Louis. It is a large shopping area, with restaurants, cafes, a cinema and even a casino. Obviously it is located by the water so it makes it perfect just to take a walk as well.

 

The shopping area is very large with both international brands and more local things. Pardon, a brand from Reunion Island is worth the visit. There is also a nice crafts market on 2 floors.

There are a few historical things to look at, as the Postal Museum or The Observatory.

The Observatory was built in the beginning of the 1830's and was the first of its kind in the Indian Ocean, used mainly for cyclone warnings and astronomic views helping the weather forecast in the harbour. It had a short life as it stopped operating in 1866 and the tower was brought down in 1880. The main building is still there, showing the architecture of the time and of course the evolution of the Caudan.

In the Caudan, you will also find the Blue Penny Museum - the museum is named after the legendary and very rare 2 pence blue stamp. There are the first stamps of the British Empire to be printed outside the United Kingdom, in 1847. One of these can be seen in this small museum.

Blue Penny Museum

The particularity of this stamp is that it says "Post Office" instead of "Post Paid" and about 240 pieces were sold before the mistake was noticed. The little story says that most of these stamps were used to send out  invitations to the Mauritian Governor's wife ball. 

The museum displays a collection of boat models, the postal story of Mauritius as well as a whole section on "Paul & Virginie", the famous book by Bernardin de St Pierre. It is the story of 2 young people who know each other since birth, fall in love and die on the wreckage of the Saint Geran. For those interested it is possible to dive and see the wreck. 

Opposite the museum there is a small art gallery, where we bought some lovely prints from Mauritian artists, worth a visit if one is looking for a small souvenir. 

Some more pictures of the Caudan...