Visiting Home Part 2

Tuesday I braved the train and headed towards Netanya to meet up with my friend Meg. We are actually friends through another friend. Meg came to Israel as an ex-pat wife just as we were leaving and we've only met once before. Our morning started off a little rushed with heavy traffic and a few wrong turns. I just barely made the 8:15 train. While on the train a man came by to check tickets and informed me that I was in a reserved seating only area and would have to move. It probably shouldn't have been a big deal, but it made me flustered and somehow I managed to misplace my ticket by the time I found a seat in the next train car. I knew I would be fine getting off the train, but I was supposed to transfer to another train at the next stop, so I had 5 minutes to find my ticket or potentially have to get a new one. uggh. In the end it all worked out (it had fallen into my book in my purse) and I got off at the right station and waited for Meg...and waited.... and waited... Finally I found someone who was willing to loan me their cell phone (who knew we were so attached to those things!) and left a message for Meg who apparently was at a different exit waiting for me. After 30 minutes and wondering whether I should head back to Haifa on the next train, I heard Meg calling my name from the opposite side of the train station. In no time we were off on our adventure for the day: Bethlehem. What an incredible experience. I'm so glad I went and so glad I was with a friend who had been there before. She had a "contact" who came and picked us up at the border crossing and took us to all the tourist sites (We drove just inside the wall to see all the graffiti and then on to Manger Square, Church of the Nativity, Milky grotto and Shepherd's field). We ended up in our "chaufer's" gift shop and bought some souveniers. Meg had planned on buying something from his shop and I got some things as well. On the way back to the wall we drove past the late Yasser Arafat's castle and Stars and Bucks cafe of course. It was a busy day and Ima and Mor picked me up from the train station since Ken was still in meetings. The Church of the Nativity was built in 300 AD over the site believed to host Mary and Joseph when Jesus was born. Apparently it was not destroyed by the Crusaders in the 6th century and remains the oldest operating Christian church in the world. The mosaics on the floor are original. Entrance to the church is through the door of humility which visitors almost bow as they enter through the 4 foot doorway. There is a silver star marking the birthplace of Jesus. It was quite an interesting place to be. I'm sure this is not Biblical but it was still an interesting place to visit. Some say that Mary and Joseph stopped here on their flight to Egypt to nurse baby Jesus and some of her milk dropped on the rocks making the cave turn white. Many who have fertility issues come to the grotto to recieve "healing" and fertility. On to the Shepherd's Field where the Angels proclaimed the birth of Baby Jesus. This field was not at all what I had pictured in my mind with soft rolling green hills. But the rocky crags were very common to the landscape in Bethlehem and what we saw sheep grazing on throughout the country. There was a church there and also some caves to go in. Can you believe it.... a Starbucks knock-off in Bethlehem!