Somewhat surprisingly, Jordan has become one of the more significant countries in my home story. And since it's a pretty cool place that doesn't get a lot of attention, I thought it would be fun to write some about all the great places in this little country.

Disclaimer: Life is confusing because I both live in Jordan and am married to Jordan. I shall try my best to indicate which one I'm talking about. Also, I'm in no way an expert on life here, just sharing my own experiences.

Some basic facts about Jordan. Arabic is the official language. It's comparable in size to Austria, or Indiana. Most of the population is Muslim, with about 10% being Christian. About 6.5 million people live here, and while statistics are tricky to pin down, at least 2.5 million are Palestinian refugees who had to flee their home country and now permanently reside here. There is also a large Iraqi population following the recent Iraq war, and now thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing the current conflict in Syria. Jordan, despite being a poor country with few natural resources (including water) has an admirable spirit when it comes to refugees. As one of the few stable countries in a region filled with uncertainty they have done more than their share for the surrounding people. They also let us live here, and in a world that will more than likely shut it's doors on you, that's something I consider to be a real gift.

Most of Jordan is desert, but Amman (the capital, where I live) has the benefit of some elevation, between 700 and 1,100 m (2,300 - 3,600 ft). This means that our summers, while hot, are not unbearable like they are in most of the surrounding countries. It also means that we can get snow in the winter time. Most of the time we have rather pleasant weather and can enjoy the nice desert sun. Also, sometimes we have sand storms.

Amman is a very scenic city, built on 7 hills, there's often a view to be had, but it's a beast to walk around, especially since the idea of sidewalks hasn't been fully developed. It also has some great history, with a Roman amphitheater and the ruins of a Roman citadel looking down on the city.

The amphitheater is down in the city and the citadel up on the hill. You can just barely see the columns at the top center of the photo

Amman has some great markets, and delicious food, but I'll save that for another post. If you have any questions about anything, feel free to leave them below in the comments and I'll try and answer them in a future post.

We are something of a board game family. At some point Jordan discovered German board games and ever since then we've spent a lot of time playing games. I'm not quite sure what it is about Germany and why they make such interesting games, but I guess that's how things go. I know some of the more popular games in America are Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne, but there are lots more where those came from.

My favorite games tend to be on the shorter and simpler side than Jordan's. Mostly I think it's because I never win the longer games, and while I don't need to win all the time to be happy, I do at least like to believe I could win, and with the longer games I just don't have the track record to make that true. But that does mean that most of these games are great even if you haven't played a lot of games.

The data on the games comes from BoardGameGeek, where they will overwhelm you with game data.

10. Power Grid
Playing Time: 2 hours
Best With: 4, 5 players
Recommended With: 3, 4, 5, 6 players

While I do love this game, I wouldn't rush out and buy it if you haven't played a lot games. The first time I saw it I refused to play it, because, well, it's really ugly. The game revolves around buying power plants and powering cities, and the game has a polluted look: dark, grungy colors. The main reason I like this game is that contrary to what I said earlier, for some reason I can actually win this game, and so I can feel hopeful while we're playing that I have a chance.


9. The Princes of Florence
Playing Time: 1.5 hours
Best With: 5 players
Recommended With: 3, 4, 5 players

This is another game I wouldn't rush out and buy, but I do love it, even though I never win. This is the kind of game where it really doesn't matter if you win or not, I always have a good time building my palazzo and creating various works of art. Basically, you are a family in Florence during the Renaissance and you are trying to become the most prestigious through your artists. Sounds fun doesn't it?


8. Inkognito
Playing Time: 1.5 hours
Best With: 4 players
Recommended With: 4 players

I've only played this game a couple times, and we don't own it, but I would like to. It's basically like Clue, you're trying to solve a mystery by asking people to see their cards, but you also have a secret partner you're trying to discover and a secret task to accomplish with them. Secretive gestures are encouraged and you definitely feel like a secret operative. Plus the game is set during Carnival time in Venice, so you know, extra cool points.


7. Citadels
Playing Time: 1.5 hours
Recommended With: 2-7 players

Apparently this is a long game, but it doesn't feel like. I would consider it to be a short one. Each round everyone picks a new role: King, Thief, Assassin, Magician...which gives you a specialty during the round while you try and build a magnificent city. There's some good, fun backstabbing with stealing and murder. But generally not enough to make you hate each other by the end.


6. Category 5
Playing Time: 45 minutes
Recommended With: 4-10 players

Unfortunately this game is out of print, and if you want to buy it you have to go for the slightly less cool Slide 5. While it's mostly the exact same game, it now has a meaningless theme of skiing, while the old one had the super menacing theme of hurricanes. A quick and easy, although often painful, card game. Anyone can play, even if they aren't really into strategy because often luck is just as useful as thinking in this game.


5. San Juan
Playing Time: 45 minutes
Recommended With: 2-4 players

While a lot of people love the game Puerto Rico, I prefer the quicker card game version of San Juan. It uses the same theme from Puerto Rico of growing, producing and shipping, but only with cards.


4. Alhambra
Playing Time: 60 minutes
Recommended With: 2-4 players

This game is like an easier and faster Princes of Florence. You are trying to build a fancy Alhambra, while paying your workers in different currencies. It's pretty fast to understand and fun to play because no one can directly ruin your great building (something I really hate in games).


3. Mystery Rummy: Jack the Ripper
Playing Time: 45 minutes
Recommended With: 2-4 players

I love this game. It's basically a rummy game with a theme, in this case determining who Jack the Ripper is. I love card games, but Jordan doesn't, and this game with it's interesting theme is a great compromise for us.


2. 7 Wonders
Playing Time: 30 minutes
Recommended With: 2-7 players

I LOVE this game! It's great with any number of players, and because of the style of play it never slows down, even with seven people. It's also another game where winning is hardly as cool as the great stuff you build during the game. And there's no direct competition with your neighbors, so no chance of someone coming in to bury your recently built wonder.


1. 10 Days
Playing Time: 30 minutes
Recommended With: 2-4 players

This has been my favorite game for a while now. It's fast, easy to understand and I'm pretty good at it (especially 10 Days in Africa). There are several versions of this game: Africa, Europe, USA, Asia, and the Americas. I would strongly suggest getting one where your geography is questionable because it's seriously the best way to learn where stuff is. Even with all the traveling I've done, it's still a challenge to know exactly where something is. But after playing this game, you're a pro. I've even picked up various capitals as we've played. It's a great mix of a little bit of luck and a deceptive amount of strategy. ❤❤❤