Bethlehem is solidly in Palestinian territory, tucked behind a massive concrete wall that separates West Bank communities from the suburbs of Jerusalem. The other riders from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and back were all Palestinians or tourists like us. At one point the bus stopped and we were all required to disembark and show proof of citizenship to Israeli guards.
The Church of the Nativity was exactly as I remembered it from prior visits. It's a dark, cavernous place with chandeliers, incense burners and Christmas tree ornaments hanging from the ceilings. The only difference was the number of tourists in the building. The place was packed. The line to visit the underground grotto (where Jesus is said to have been born) was several persons wide and wrapped around the inside of the sanctuary. It didn't appear to move at all. We decided to forego the grotto and headed across the street to the Peace Center that was built since my last visit. Afterward, we picnicked on Manger Square and fended off sellers of Christmas-themed souvenirs (we don't have room in our packs to carry them home!)Back in Jerusalem, we visited the enormous and ornate YMCA which was built in the 1920s and is one of the city's architectural wonders. We walked back to Ben Yehuda Street (we have done a lot of walking since arriving in Jerusalem!) and got ourselves organized for our next adventure which is an archaeological dig. Tomorrow we rent a car promptly at 8:00 am so we can get to the dig site an hour west of Jerusalem by 9:30. Our time in Jerusalem is rapidly coming to an end, and we will not get to visit all the sites on our must-see list. Not for a lack of trying, though!
