A Royal Sighting

Daniel's parents arrived last Friday and we've been out and about seeing the sights, eating, and shopping!  But Tuesday was a very special day here in Amman.  It was the 10th anniversary of the King's coronation.  The city was basically shut down, all major roads were closed, and people from all over the Kingdom headed to Amman to get a look at the King and Queen.  They were supposed to drive through the city and hold a speech at a local stadium with an air show.  (We knew about the air show because we'd been hearing and seeing the fighter jets fly RIGHT above our house for a week now - sometimes they fly so low the house seems to shake!) 

Daniel's friend called to see if we were planning to stand on the street and wait for the Royal family to drive by.   We wondered what time it would be and we were told anywhere between 2 and 6:00.  Hmmm, hot weather, big crowds, 4 hours.....well, I passed on the occasion, but Daniel and his parents headed down to meet Daniel's friend.  They moved locations a few times to find the perfect spot for a good view.  The streets were indeed crowded with police, traditional dancers/ performers, school children, political higher ups and even a cute baby camel.  Daniel's mom got to go and take a few pictures of the camel and see it up close, only to find out later that the camel was there to be sacrificed to the King as he drove by.  Yikes!  Of course, we were told that it was an honor to the king....and the camel.  Sure.  

Well, sure enough, right about 6:00 the cars began to move quickly through the streets.  First it was just some military people, then reporters, then more military, and finally, at a speed around 40 mph, the King and Queen rode by standing up in an open-top car.  Daniel was quick to get a picture, but when we looked at the picture later, he saw that he actually only got the King and Queen's hands waving to the crowd.  Most of the picture is of a huge Jordanian flag. Oh well, people said they looked great.  We were just glad that Daniel's parents got to be a part of such a big day on their trip East.