7am came a lot quicker than I wanted it to this morning. I got up to catch my tour leaving the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem to tour Bethlehem. I waited outside the gate until 8:30, it was supposed to leave at 8. Turns out the driver waited for me at my hostel while I was waiting for him at the gate. If you've just lol'd your sense of humor needs some refinement, mine does too I thought it was hilarious. Once I got on the bus I was among Russians, Indians, Germans, Australians, and Brits; I was the lone representative of the US of A. The bus took us through Jerusalem and into the West Bank. I was again greeted with the sight of the wall that separates Israel from the Palestinian Authority. It's huge, ugly(save for some awesome graffiti), and foreboding; I understand how Germans felt during the Cold War. The title of this post was written on a part of the wall in Bethlehem.
Once inside, Bethlehem was very nice. We went to all of the important Christian sites, and our tour guide did a good job describing the significance of each. The city has a very prominent Christian population, though they're a minority. Seeing places like the Church of the Nativity(where Jesus was born) and the field(which is still in use more than 2k years later) where the shepherds saw the north star and were brought to dear lord baby Jesus(+10 internets if you get the reference) was another amazing experience. This land is full of amazement. I greatly enjoyed experiencing what I've only read about in the old beat up Christmas book.
The tour guide told us a sad story...his. He is barred from entering Israel under any circumstances, including Jerusalem. He has family in the US, but he can only visit them by going to Jordan first. In Bethlehem he is only allowed to legally work as a tourist. Not tourists, no work and he can't go to Jerusalem where all the tourists are to promote himself. Yet he remains hopeful and optimistic. He told us Christians and Muslims live as brothers in Bethlehem and soon Christians, Muslims, and Jews would live as brothers in the holy land. He left us by saying, "I pray for peace, not just here but in all the countries in the world. I believe it will happen." I hope he is right.
Tiberias tomorrow!
Once inside, Bethlehem was very nice. We went to all of the important Christian sites, and our tour guide did a good job describing the significance of each. The city has a very prominent Christian population, though they're a minority. Seeing places like the Church of the Nativity(where Jesus was born) and the field(which is still in use more than 2k years later) where the shepherds saw the north star and were brought to dear lord baby Jesus(+10 internets if you get the reference) was another amazing experience. This land is full of amazement. I greatly enjoyed experiencing what I've only read about in the old beat up Christmas book.
The tour guide told us a sad story...his. He is barred from entering Israel under any circumstances, including Jerusalem. He has family in the US, but he can only visit them by going to Jordan first. In Bethlehem he is only allowed to legally work as a tourist. Not tourists, no work and he can't go to Jerusalem where all the tourists are to promote himself. Yet he remains hopeful and optimistic. He told us Christians and Muslims live as brothers in Bethlehem and soon Christians, Muslims, and Jews would live as brothers in the holy land. He left us by saying, "I pray for peace, not just here but in all the countries in the world. I believe it will happen." I hope he is right.
Tiberias tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment