While we were in Jerusalem, we thought we’d take a little dip into the Palestinian Territories to visit Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity. We took a local bus, which dropped us off just outside the center of what is now quite a bustling little city. As we made our way through the markets and down to Manger Square, we came across this lovely little road. Contrary to what the news might have you believe, there are at least parts of the Palestinian Territories that are perfectly lovely, and this is one of them. The town’s building are made almost exclusively with the same beautiful white rock as in Jerusalem. The streets are clean, and the people were very kind. We had no trouble finding our way to the church and even stopped to have a beer at a little cafe on the way back to the bus. The day definitely helped to remind us that while things make the news for a reason, a place can’t be defined only by what you see on the television.
The Parallel Life 
gah! Need more photos for those of us who may never get there. Can you post some of the big spots?
We definitely will at least set up an album on our flickr, though our upload speeds are abysmal at this point so it’s been difficult even getting a few photos up for the Friday posts…
Beautiful.
Thanks 🙂
Well said! Have a safe trip to India!
Arrived today and so far, so good!
I love your philosophy!
Thanks! It can be really easy to watch the news/listen to other travelers, etc and make an opinion about a place based only on those details, so we keep finding ways to remind ourselves to keep an open mind unless there is really a serious threat to our safety.
I’m really looking forward to seeing Bethlehem and the rest of the Holy lands! Looks like it won’t be until the end of our last leg though with passport stamp issues. Btw, some of our friends have subscribed to your site and talk about you guys. And everyone likes the story about Justin and Bryan tricking Ashley and I about exchanging Betsey for an SUV. Have fun and stay safe! 🙂
I think you’ll really like it, it was so different than we expected! Fantastic food (loads of great falafel!) and really easy to travel in. I was wondering where the new people were coming from, thanks for linking to us! I meant to email you the other day that we took a jeep tour in the desert in Jordan and our truck was totally Betsey’s boyfriend! It was a mess! Will write you more about it later 🙂