Bethlehem and Battle Scenes

The Nativity has always struck me as the perfect story.  It resonates with me, in a way that many others do not.  Well, today we visited Bethlehem, as part of a  tour.  And, much of the experience reflected the ancient narrative.  The arrangement to pick us up was sketchy - Doug and I plus two others crowded into a tiny cab, with a driver whose English only extended to urging us to upgrade to a longer trip to Jericho (no thanks).  Next, came the drop-off at the Israeli-Palestinian border.  We were on our own, negotiating this not so user-friendly place of multiple walls, fences and barbed wire.  (You can see how the anxiety & ugliness of getting to Bethlehem might reflect the ancient story).  On the other side, we were met by our guide, the lovely Jabal, an Arab Christian, who put us in a van and ``shepherded` us around the sites of Bethlehem.  At the end, we said goodbye at the border and Jabal asked us ``to pray for his country``.  I`m not sure of the answer to the thorny politics of the Middle East, but I will give it my best, Jabal.
We spent the afternoon, walking down the Mount of Olives, stopping often.  The Garden of Gethsemane was most evocative.  I think I like my shrines in the open air.  Back in Jerusalem,  we found ourselves in the middle of a Palestinian protest.  Police on horseback were charging the protesters.  For a few minutes, we were fascinated and found spots to take pictures. But, it was quite a volatile, noisy  situation and we made a decision to vamoose.
Today is Jewish Pentecost (when Moses received the 10 Commandments) and is a major holiday here. Everyone in Jerusalem seems to be on their way to the Wall.