Day 9 Saturday 20 April Mt Scopus, Bethlehem, Herodian

Bethlehem and Shepherds Field On the way the the Herodian and The Church of the Rock ....................................... Day 10: Sunday 21 April Hebron, Shiloh and Samaria. - Driving through Samaria and preparations for the Passover Shilo Inside Hebron Synagogue and view over Samaria Day 10: Sunday 21 April Hebron, Shilo. This day we travelled in an armoured bus and we were subject to security situation, which thankfully was okay that week and thankfully we can see out of the window, we were worried that they would be barred or something. The Sabbath is over and shops are open and all food is available again. We have traversed the land that Abraham and the patriarchs walked. There are guards and fences to protect traffic from rock throwing and the worse. We drove through Jerusalem and then towards Samaria / Judea and the land of the prophets. On our way Stan our guide gave us some sobering news. The airline we are booked on is on strike. For the group who are going on to Petra are not immediately impacted. Hebron was very interesting and impacted me because of the Biblical heroes Abraham and Caleb especially. We walked through a synagogue in which there were both men and women worshipping and again we had to undergo certain protocol and there were security measures before entering. The area had been under Muslim rule a while ago and there was Arabic writing on the walls. Next was 1. Shilo and this was very interesting and impacted me because of the Biblical heroes, Samuel and Eli. Young Samuel was left with Eli the priest at a young age and grew up serving and waiting on God. It was really something standing where the Tabernacle had been house for years and then lost in battle causing Eli to fall off his chair and break his neck. But Samuel went on to be an amazing Priest and Judge to his people: Anointing first Saul and then David as King. We drove up to Samaria and Stan gave us a history lesson. It was raining and unfortunately the whole area was in mourning for their High Priest who had recently died and we could not visit the two museums that we were scheduled to visit. They people were in preparation for the Passover celebrations and we were able to see some of the outdoor preparations. We were entertained by the very narrow streets and the lack of traffic etiquette but somehow there were no volatile tempers or road rage but cars were moved out of the way and the bus was allowed to pass through. A tiring but fulfilling day, but I was glad I went along as it had been an optional day. We returned to our hotel in time to pack before dinner as we are all checking out in the morning. My friend Phyl had decided to have a rest and stayed back at the hotel. I was surprised to see that she had made both our beds and tidied up generally, one can get in a mess when living out of a suitcase and having early starts and latish nights. Day 9 Saturday 20 April Mt Scopus, Bethlehem, Herodian Saturday I had trouble uploading so this is yesterday’s news as well. We could only stop and look at Bethlehem as it isn’t safe to visit and again the Shepherds Field to the right was lit up by sunlight, each time it was pointed out the sun seemed to shine only on this field. We went drove on to the Herodian, one of Herod the Great’s palaces. He built this palace fortress after an invasion by the Parthians which almost resulted in the death of his mother. It’s set on a very high hill with a steep incline which would not be easy for an invading army. It was a wet and cold day so I pulled out my emergency raincoat, hence the look alike garbage bag outfit! Because of the steep steps, long distance and rain I stayed with a few others and climbed up, I think, some of the Mount of Olives to an Arab or Muslim coffee shop filled with men. We bought some take away coffees and sat opposite this colourful church, Church of the Rock, which had what seemed like a continuous service going on despite the hundreds and hundreds of tourists piling through, including us! We are continually having little adventures, one being losing my purse going into a cafe. Thankfully the bus driver found it on the bus. Again we walked in Herod's steps this time we battled the wind and rain. It's amazing all the checkpoints and border crossings we do. Also we noted the contrast between the Arab and the Jewish areas. We saw so many sights and sounds and so many tourists and buses. We had a lecture or chat that night by a pastor who had been injured in a bombing and is working with the Jews.