King Hussein Car Museum

On the outskirts of town, in King Hussein National Park, sits a modest building made of untreated, rough sandstone that houses the very extravagant car collection of the Jordanian Royal Family. This was the first touristy go I had at the city of Amman. Considering how much I detest tourism, tourists, and what my brother calls, "Yuppies," I did enjoy the outing. We made it through security, a little less strict than the frisk I got in the Frankfurt airport. Ya Franz, don't go there. The first mistake I made in Frankfurt was walking through the metal detector with my belt on. The second mistake I made in Frankfurt was entering through security 2 hours early. It is not like the states. Every 4 gates have their own security checkpoint. Once you are through, there are no restrooms or cafes to spend the 8 Euro 40 that you have left, there arejust the gates, and whatever novels you brought with to occupy your attention. Needless to say, the guards at the car museum didn't care that I walked through with my belt on. I set off the metal detector, but the guards didn't mind, I was safe.
In the first room, there was a motorbike, an old car, and what I can only describe as an airplane fuselage put on wheels. It is one of the 75 Mercedes SLR's in the world. Another one drives around the streets of Amman, but I haven't seen that one. The cars were very beautiful, and well polished, clean, and on expert display. Rolls, Mercedes, BMW, Porshe, Cadillac, Ferrari, Harley-Davidson, Bugatti. The Bugatti Veryon has a rear spoiler that automatically extends when the car is travelling more than 85 mph, and it only extends when travelling at speeds exceeding 85 mph. If a Bugatti Veryon is driving with its rear spoiler extended, it is speeding and everyone knows it. The Bugatti Veryon in the car museum did not have its rear spoiler extended, and therefore it was most likely not speeding.
My favorite car was a Mercedes 300 SL done in a glossy blue grey. Small, sporty and classy. Rolls are too big. Bugatti Veryon's too flashy, and it is so easy to get speeding tickets in them. I also liked the Porshe 911. I was dissappointed to not find a juaguar E-Type. I suppose it isn't exlusive enough to find its way into the King Hussein Car Museum. They were relatively cheap sports cars. If I had to pick a car to drive out of the the Museum it would be the Bugatti Veryon. Which I would sell, and then buy the 300 SL.
I did like the lighting in the building. There were interesting reflections and shadows on the cars. I find cars very difficult to photograph though, because in order to photograph a detail, you must neglect the whole. They have enough depth to be confusing, but not enough to to play with focus.
Outside of the Museum is King Hussein National Park. It is a pleasant grove of small, scraggly pine trees hugging the slope of the hill. Accross the city climbs back up like a wave rolling far out to sea. White sandstone pixles. You can see a building, or you can see the city, but never both. You could also look at the scraggly pines, but then you lose the city all together.
Lining the street were many cars. There were probably more cars outside of the car museum than inside of it. But none of them were nearly as nice as the cars in the museum. Most of the cars outside were common and new whereas the cars on the inside were fine rarities of the industrialist world. Jewels of manufacturing maintained as if they had never seen the road. Outside, the cars are painted in the ever present dust from the well-used roads.