Thousands of pilgrims descend upon Jerusalem's Old City on Good Friday. We woke up early to go to the Via Dolorosa, where various Christian groups were participating in the stations of the cross. It's remarkable to see the diversity of people within the global Christian community; one of the largest processions consisted of pilgrims from Ethiopia. (Catholic and Orthodox Easter fall on the same day this year, so the crowds are even larger than normal.) We were only able to see a small portion of the long stretch that is the Via Dolorosa, because of the throngs of people. It seemed like crowd control was in peaceful order and things were well organized in the streets.

In the Holy Sepulchre, however, things got a bit intense. There was quite a bit of shoving in the line to enter the tomb of Christ. It was actually quite sad to see people arguing on what should be a reflective, holy day.

We also took some time on Friday to tour outside the Old City. We visited the last supper room in Mount Zion, which is, as its name suggests, the place where the Christ broke bread with his disciples for the final team. There was a group of Costa Ricans sings hymns, which added to the holiness of the room. It may seem obvious, but visiting the places that we have only read about in the Bible is a transformative experience. We returned to Gethsemane as well, in order to visit the garden where Jesus prayed.  The sites related to the life of Christ outside the city walls are far more peaceful and offer an opportunity for quiet contemplation and prayer.

First, a bit about the other sites we've seen in Jerusalem. Yesterday we visited David's citadel and took a guided tour in English (free with entry fee!). Our guide was very knowledgable and fielded a number of tough questions that inevitably arise when discussing Jerusalem's turbulent past - and present. We would highly recommend this to other visitors, preferably at the beginning of their stay, so that they have a firm understanding of Jerusalem since c. 10.000 BC.

We also visited the holiest of places for people of the Jewish faith - the Western Wall. Although we did not go close to the wall, so as not to interrupt those that were praying, it was enlightening for us to see and begin to understand the significance of this remnant of the temple complex destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans.

On Saturday, we visited St Anne's, a lovely, quiet, hidden church off the Via Dolorosa near St Stephen's gate. Next to the church are the baths of Bethesda, where Jesus healed a lame beggar.

After this, we hopped on a bus to Bethlehem. This was more challenging than it sounds because Bethlehem is located in the West Bank. We were able to pass through without any problem (if you go, make sure to bring your passports!!). On the other side, we visited the Church of the Nativity, which was built around the cave where Jesus was born. Apparently Jesus was born in a cave at the back of a house where they kept all the animals, not in a manager. The book to read for more of the archeological information about these sites is Oxford University Press's guide to the Holy Land, by Jerome O'Connor. This is an excellent introduction to each place, the history of the site, and it includes the appropriate biblical passages to guide your reading while you visit. We wandered around Bethlehem's old city and visited Shepherds' Field, where it is said the angel appeared to the shepherds, announcing Jesus's birth.

It was not difficult or intimidating to be in the West Bank, and, given the significance of the site (unlike the location of Jesus's tomb, the Church of the Nativity is undisputed by historians and archeologists to be the actual site of Jesus's birth), we think it is important place to visit.