Silent Night

I wanted to wander out of Jerusalem.

I had been there a few days and the intensity of religious and political fervour is almost intoxicating. I decided I wanted to go to Bethlehem to have a look at the famed church.

Early one morning, I headed off with a few new friends I had made in the hostel.

After passing through the Israeli security wall, we found ourselves in the West Bank. A short walk took us to the Church of the Nativity.
Inside, the atmosphere is very Eastern. The remnants of the Byzantines is still there and the Church remains under the care of the Greek Orthodox Church.
It definitely creates an interesting feeling....
I wandered through the main hall, which unsurprisingly gives the feeling of being inside a barn.
And underneath the main hall, was the sacred place itself. The place where Jesus Christ was said to have been born.

Once again, as with so many places I had visited, it was breath taking.