Elisa and I were a little naughty today. We weren’t going to go visit the West Bank because we wanted to be extra safe this trip. But since we’ve been through the West Bank twice already without even meaning to, we thought it would be OK. (Turns out you have to travel through the West Bank to go between Jerusalem and most of the rest of the country). A half-day guided tour to Bethlehem was just too tempting. It was an awesome tour too. There were only 5 of us and the guide was funny.

There is a cave that is famous as the site where Mary nursed Jesus. How they decided on this particular cave, I couldn’t tell you. It was thought that it was where Mary and Joseph hid during their flight from Herod’s decree to kill all the children. As the tradition goes, Mary’s breast milk turned the rocks white, and now is the source of fertility for women that touch it. It’s a very interesting and obviously Catholic tradition.

Outside of Bethlehem were the prettiest views in the area where the shepherds would have received the angel’s good tidings about Jesus’ birth. Not only was the site significant for that reason, but it also overlooked a valley where Ruth and Naomi lived and gathered from the fields. Elisa and I have appreciated the outdoor peaceful sites on all our tours.

Around another cave is a church that marks Jesus’ birth. The Church of Nativity has markings showing exactly where they believe Christ was born and where the manger was that he was laid in. One of the best parts about the church were the low doors. They were meant to keep out riding soldiers. But the interesting thing is their reminder for patrons to be humble.

Back from Bethlehem, we walked through the old city Jerusalem again. It wasn’t crowded today. Today is Easter Sunday so we were expecting chaos. We took a cab up Mount Scopus to try to see the BYU Jerusalem Center, but that was closed. Instead, we took some pictures overlooking Jerusalem and walked back to our hotel through the old city.

This is the last full day of our trip. We are trying to keep our schedule pretty open so that we can arrive back home rested and relaxed. Chad decided to top his Israeli experience off by trying a local delicacy. Ewww. As in, ewe. Our appetizer was stuffed lamb’s spleen. Elisa tried some too. 🙂 Elisa’s meal was tastier though. Oddly enough I had just been talking to him about how wrong it is to eat organs.

• Photos from Bethlehem