Today almost didn't happen. All our grand intentions fell away when we stayed up 'till 1:30 watching the Scorpion King in the lounge (The Rock is the best) and then slept 'till noon. So there went our "get a lot done today" plan. But Stephanie and I eventually got moving and caught the Palestinian bus into Bethlehem. Yes, I know it's in the West Bank, and no, nobody died. It was actually quite nice there. And everybody spoke better English than in Jerusalem...
It happens to be the last day of the Olive Festival today, so there were some traditional Palestinian performances going on in Manger Square. We did a little shopping and then headed into the Basilica of the Nativity. How very disappointing. The place wasn't a church - it was a circus. Dozens of tour groups going through chattering away at top volume, pushing and shoving to get ahead in the line to get into the grotto downstairs where the big event is supposed to have happened. A wedding started while we were in line, and people couldn't even be quit for the poor bride to come in. Ugh. So needless to say all the gabbing and shoving didn't do much for the impression that the church made on me, but it is a lovely basilica, and I was able to appreciate the history of the place, even if I didn't appreciate my fellow travelers. I don't know where I get off being all self-righteous about it, but it just seemed like people were pretty rude considering how much the place means to people...
I also had my first experience with shabbat last night/today. Let me tell you, this place shuts down. All except East Jerusalem where all the Muslims live, of course. But the New City hops when the sun goes down on Saturday. Once we got back from Bethlehem, we headed out for a real dinner that did not include pita bread. We settled on some Chinese food and joy of joys, in Stephanie I have found a partner in gluttony. We stuffed ourselves on Chinese food, then decided that tomorrow, we will cook our own meals all day. What a luxury! No falafel for a whole day! So we headed into the heart of New City to find a grocery store (which we did - not a convenience store!), and found the place hopping. It's a far cry from the somber tones of the Old City. Hippies in kippas drumming and dancing, Korean evangelists singing, bars hopping, shops open late, and best yet, gelato stores open and full of deliciousness. So we grabbed groceries and gelato and wandered the streets a while enjoying the party atmosphere.
But it's off to bed early tonight: we're going to High Latin Mass at Holy Sepulchre at 6:30 tomorrow morning, so no sleeping late allowed. Then off to Masada in the afternoon. Ambitious plans to atone for today's sloth and gluttony.
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