Bethlehem

Today we checked out Mt. Carmel and the beautiful church commerating it. It's been an absolutely beautiful day, so we got ice cream bars and enjoyed them on the bay. And then we went down the street to Bahi's shrine (Baha'i combined Judaism Islam and Christianity) The memorial for Bahai was on the length of a steep hill, the Persian Gardens. I feel myself tiring of saying the word "beautiful." But it was, very much so.

We went to Nazareth Village, a museum depicting what Nazareth was like 2000 years ago. The tour was silly, fun, included a lot of sarcasm, and really brought the time period to life, explaining all of Jesus' first century references. It was also nice, after having seen many gaudy shrines, to see the simplicity of Jesus' way of life.

On our way to the Church of the Annunciation we ran into a parade (for The Feast of the Annunciation) fully equippt with bagpipes and bugles. So we hung out and watched for awhile before seeing the breath-taking stained glass windows at the church.

Having left Jerusalem, the tensions have been much less high and we've had a nice relaxing day. And Naim said that tomorrow will probably be the highlight of our trip.