We leave the Mount of Beatitudes Hospice overlooking the Sea of Galilee at 8-0am and drive along the shore of the lake, through Tiberias, and follow the road south down the Jordan valley. On the right hand side, high on its hill, is the Crusader Castle of Belvoir on the skyline.  Belvoir means beautiful view but the history of the castle was short.  It was built by the Knights of Saint John between 1168-73 and, after the fall of the Christian kingdom at Hattin in 1187, it survived an eighteen month siege. Then, realising that

We leave the Dead Sea and the road begins to climb through the Mountains of Moab. After an hour and a half in the bus we arrive at Mukawir – Machaerus, the sinister palace and fortress where Herod Antipas had John the Baptist beheaded at the request of the dancing girl, Salome.

We walk the 300 yards from the hotel to the entrance to the site.  A day ticket costs £21 a person and we are pleased that all entrance fees have been included in the pilgrimage cost! Some people walk the whole mile and half to the Treasury, Petra’s most photographed monument, while others ride a horse as far as the entrance to the Siq, the narrow canyon that leads into the city, and yet others endure (rather than enjoy) a horse and buggy ride the whole way.

We leave Petra at 7-30am after an early breakfast and abandon our plan to visit Kerak, the great Crusader castle, which was on our route to the Dead Sea on our original itinerary.  However, because we stayed for our first night in Jordan at the Dead Sea instead of in Amman, a visit to the Crusader castle of Shobak will save us more than two hours of driving time.

We leave the Imperial Palace Hotel at 8-0am and drive once more down through the mountains for 45 minutes towards the Dead Sea and the Jordan Valley. As we descend we see Mount Nebo and the plains of Moab. We are going to Bethany beyond the Jordan, where the Bible and Byzantine and mediaeval writers all place the baptism of Jesus and the ministry of John the Baptist.