O Little Town of Bethlehem .. That Sea Really is Dead
A lot has happened over the past few days. From Jerusalem I caught a bus to Bethlehem in the West Bank. Moving out of Israeli occupation and into the West Bank was a little unnerving to say the least. I was surprised that there was no check point going in (we will learn later that there is most certainly a check point when returning to Israel.).
Bethlehem is a small town that sits just to the southeast of Jerusalem. The Hebrew Bible identifies Bethlehem as the City of David and the location where He (Jesus) was crowned as the King of Israel. The New Testament (Gospels of Matthew and Luke) identify Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus, as such, the town is inhabitated by one of the oldest Christian communities in the world.
After arriving in Bethlehem and checking into my hotel I immediately set out for the Church of the Nativity, though I did of course manage to get myself lost. Mostly because I took a wrong turn and ended up walking close to a mile away from where I wanted to go. I guess I never really realized that it was a cave underneath that Jesus was born.
More coming soon.
Sunrise over the Dead Sea and the Ruins of Masada
Candles light for my parents and a recently deceased uncle in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem
A painting in the Central Bus Station
An artful ship overlooking the Sea of Galilee
Day 2 of Chanukah, the Menorah is light — Western Wall, Jerusalem
“Dome of the Spices”
The Many Faces of Israel
Thailand 
Myanmar 