Mr. & Mrs. Habibi Walsh live in Bethlehem

Yesterday, after spending my morning strolling down the Via Dolorosa, I ventured over to Bethlehem to spend the day with none other than Mr. and Mrs. Habibi Walsh, who are otherwise known as Hashem and Rula Shahin, newlyweds. (Habibi, by the way, is loosly translated as, "my love". It is used by spouses, lovers, close friends, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and anyone really. It's a pretty fabulous, all-encompassing word.) The Habibi-Walshs, who were camera-shy, send their love to everyone back home in the States. And to a certain someone back home (you know who you are) they're not only sending their love, but baklava as well. Be prepared. In lieu of a photo of the Habibi-Walshs, who I promise are super-cute, I give you a photo of the grapes from their garden. They not only look good, but taste amazing, too!

The Habibi-Walshs were kind enough to tour Bethlehem with me in the early evening. From their home, we drove to Manger Square and even parked there (a privilege reserved exclusively for locals). There, the same cops who forbid tour buses and taxis from parking in Manger Square, not only make way for private parking (for free), but also look after the cars as well. It is not enough to have the honor of living in such a Holy city, but it seems that the locals get parking rights as well!

Manger Square itself is usually bustling. We arrived just before dusk, so most of the tour buses had departed, as had most of the local peddlers pushing their rosaries and olive wood trinkets. (I had driven by earlier on my way into town and was amazed by the number of tourists I had seen. It was truly heartening.) We walked into the Church of the Nativity, which is divided into two sections: Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox. The main nave of the Church is maintained by the Greek Orthodox and is accordingly ornate and laden with gold embellishments. (I wish I had a good picture to post, but all my photos here turned out either way too dark or fuzzy.) Adjoining, is the Church of St. Catherine, which is run by the Roman Catholics. The Church of St. Catherine has been renovated several times, and in my opinion, is way too modern for such a Holy site.

The nave of St. Catherine's (in the Church of the Nativity), Bethlehem.

A side altar dedicated to Mary in St. Catherine's.

Both churches are built upon a cave said to be the birthplace of Jesus. From the Greek Orthodox church, one can descend a steep set of stone stairs to enter the cave. I can imagine that it was, at one time, quite large. But it is now so heavily decorated, that it feels rather claustrophobic with even a couple people in there. Still, the manger, itself was empty (the first time in my visits I have found it so), so I sat and prayed. Wow! Below are some photos of both the manger and the silver star, which signifies the birthplace of Jesus.

The manger


A painting in the manger.

The star of Jesus, signifying where Jesus was born.

The star, up close.

Leaving the cave, there are yet another set of steep, stone stairs that lead to the junction of St. Catherine's and the Greek Orthodox church. From there, one can venture into an inner courtyard that is dedicated to St. Jerome, I believe. He was the first person to translate Bible into Latin. It is in this courtyard where Palestinians hid from the Israelis in the seige of 2oo2. There is, to this day, evidence of destruction, both to the statues and to the effaces from the IDF military action. It is a sad reminder that on this Holy land, there is still no peace.

After leaving the Church of Nativity, we ambled aimlessly through the neighbouring streets. Here are a few pictures from Bethlehem:

Bethlehem, as seen from Bethlehem University.

Look! A goat sitting atop someone's home. The Church of the Nativity is in the background.

The outskirts of Bethlehem.