| Page Views: 4,440 Last Visit to Bethlehem: June, 2000 | "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem..." by jadedmuse - last update: Jul 11, 2005 |
Bethlehem. Fabled birthsite of Jesus.
Manger Square. Contemporary site of....well....lots of religious pilgrims, the Church of the Nativity, more pilgrims, a mosque, more pilgrims....
Don't be surprised to learn that there's the usual in-fighting going on between the religious factions controlling the Church of the Nativity (the usual suspects: Greek Orthodox, Catholics, and Armenians). |
| Pal Authority working Nativity Crowd Control |
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And if you think I'm just spouting something from a guide book, see for yourself. The tension is palpable...from the Palestinian Authority figures standing guard outside the doors to the Nativity, to the very pilgrims themselves. I was nearly shoved into a wall by an overly zealous tourist (whose country shall remain nameless!). I'm still trying to figure out what it was we were supposed to be looking at.
Pope John Paul II had just visited Bethlehem a few months before I arrived, so the town was still proudly displaying all the banners and signs welcoming the Pope. In fact, the stage from which he'd given mass was still up and occupying one side of Manger Square.
The locals are quite friendly - I asked one gentleman who was sitting outside his shop, if he believed that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and if so, was that Church really the place where it all happened. He smiled, shrugged his shoulders and said that this is what has always been said, so it must be true (my friend translated the Arabic for me). |
And here's the thing I love about these religious sites - if it's not the sites themselves that remind you of what Faith can mean, then it's the hundreds of thousands of tourists who do.
And in the end, if one of those tourists should become a little over enthusiastic and you lose sight of why you're there in the first place - then you can always count on a local to provide a reality check.
Keep the Faith!
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jadedmuse's Bethlehem Travel Tips
| Overview | Things to Do
Tips: 4 - Photos: 3 | | | Restaurants
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1 | Hotels & Accommodations | | | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path | | | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers | | | | Transportation | Local Customs
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 Comments for jadedmuse about Bethlehem | | | | |
hindu1936 Sat Apr 11, 2009 07:20 UTC
Your pages continue to absorb us. It's like having a guide at our shoulder pointing the way. Well, maybe not the pipe. It certainly looks like you had fun though. Addicted now??? | call_me_rhia Sun Apr 29, 2007 12:55 UTC
precious tips.. thank you | barryg23 Thu Feb 22, 2007 08:32 UTC
Interesting page on Bethlehem. It must be a fascinating place to visit. | flyingscot4 Fri Feb 9, 2007 17:41 UTC
What great pages! I am astounded. |
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