We got an early start and headed straight for Sultanahmet, the 'Old Istanbul' section of the city, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for the 1,400 year old Aya Sofya (Haghia Sophia) and the dominant and exquisite Blue Mosque. After the fall of Byzantium, Hagia Sophia was converted into an Ottoman mosque but today it's a monument that serves both Muslims and Christians. We're told that the massive dome was/is the inspiration for the design of many Islamic mosqu...

Istanbul is a city like no other... literally. It is the only major city on the planet that's geography rests on two continents, Asia and Europe. Our visit to Turkey marked the final chapter of our 5-week tour of the Middle East before we tackled the cold of Eastern Europe. The short two hour flight on Royal Jordanian Airlines had us in Istanbul just after lunch. Before passing through Customs and Immigration we were stunned to learn that Canadians are required...

Amman is the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and with 2.5 million residents it is the largest city in the country. We were thrilled to finally be in the historical city but also knew that being in Amman meant that we would soon be leaving the Middle East.The ancient city, formerly known as Philadelphia, is said to be over 10,000 years old and has certainly had its share of change over the years with previous rule by the Persians, Greeks, Romans and Ott...

No trip to Jordan is complete without taking a swim in the Dead Sea. It is the lowest point on earth at over 400 meters below sea level and at 30 percent salinity it is over 8 times saltier than the ocean, a natural phenomenon that makes it unlike any other body of water on the planet. Sounded like something we couldn't miss!We teamed up with Miki, our Hungarian travel companion in Amman, and hired a private taxi for 30 JD (approx $45 CDN). The 45 minute drive e...

This just in - the lost city of Petra is awesome!Officially a member of the new Seven Wonders of the World, the ancient rose-red city of Petra is undeniably one of the coolest places we've ever visited. The colourful and creative city was literally carved into sandstone cliffs by the Nabataeans in the 3rd century BC, making it nearly 2,300 years old. Petra is Jordan's tourism gem and caught the attention of the Western world when it made an appearance in an old I...