A day in Bethlehem

We've had the most perfect day today in Bethlehem. It's a very beautiful place. We started out this morning at Shepherd's Field and had Mass in a little cave. From there we went to the Church of the Nativity nad queded up with a million others to go underground to the supposed exact place of the Manger. It was an exercise in patience but was well worth it. We then went off to a local shop for a spot of retail therapy before a quick lunch break. The rest of the day was spent at Ein Kareen which involved a climb of about a 100 steps to get to the top where we were rewarded with magnificent views and two remarkable churches. I wish we could post some photos from here as I would put up the Starbucks one I took today - except that here it's called Stars & Bucks. We hope to be able to get to an internet cafe once we go to Istanbul on Saturday. Tomorrow we're off to the Dead Sea/