Today we departed the Galilee area heading towards Jerusalem. The road we took drove us through West Bank territory. We continued along this road where the landscape changed from lush orchards and vineyards to desert. One of the highlights of our trip was our visit to Genesis land. We knew we were stopping for lunch, but had no idea the treat we were in for. We arrived at Genesis land and had to change our 20th century clothing for clothes from biblical times. Once we were ready we walked over to "Abraham's House" where his wife Sarah had prepared a delicious meal for us. Abraham shared his home (tent), delicous food from the bible times, and many stories that left us all with smiles on our faces. This was such a memorable lunch.
After lunch we were a short distance to Jerusalem. We stopped briefly for some photos before heading to Bethleham. My first glimpse of Jerusalem was awe. I immediately loved the city and was anxious to see as much of it as I could. Bethleham is now Palestinian territory. So although the security wasn't as intense as we expected it still had a feel much different from that in Jerusalem. After a quick stop at the gift shop to pick up our Palestinian guide we made our way to the Church of the Nativity. In the center of town stands the Church of the Nativity, built over the traditional site of the manger where Jesus was born. On any given day the line to reach the birthplace of Jesus (located at the back of the church) can take anywhere from 1.5 to 3 hours wait. At the back of the church is the entrance to a small cave where the Altar of the Nativity is. A silver star in white marble marks the birthplace of Jesus, where millions come every year in rememberance of the event that took place 2000 years ago. Our tour originally wasn't scheduled to visit Bethleham because of the time frame it occupied. It is something I'm glad to say I've seen and I'm glad they made it happen.
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