Bethlehem

Next on the itinerary was a trip to Bethlehem. Located just south of Jerusalem, Bethlehem is located in Palestine, which meant we technically had to leave Israel.

Our guide - as are all Israelis - is forbidden to go to Palestine, so he dropped us off at the checkpoint next to the towering wall that has been constructed. Another man met us, walked us to the other side and then drove us to Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity. It's the site where Christmas Eve services are broadcast around the world.

The church itself has three sections - a Greek Orthodox section, Armenian Orthodox section and a Catholic section. Our guide here kind of rushed us, so we did't get a lot of explanations.

The highlight, though, was going down to the Grotto of Nativity, a small cave that would have been a stall for animals and a likely location of Jesus' birth. On the right was an altar with a 14-point bronze star. On the left, a manger said to be the manger that Jesus was laid on. We were down there at the same time as a group from Germay, who sang two verses of "Stille Nacht."


The Palestinians we encountered were very friendly. Several asked about the election. One of our group asked to pose for a picture with some policemen. They invited all of us in to the station for some tea, however, our guide was rushing us back into a taxi.

The obvious difference between Bethlehem and Jersulam is the poverty. The Palestinian side is very poor.