Palestine. Bethlehem

  During our trip to Israel, we visited the Palestinian city of Bethlehem. We spent one night there, visited the Church of the Nativity, and saw the cave where, according to tradition, Jesus Christ was born...  We arrived in Israel on a Saturday, when almost everything is closed and public transportation doesn't run. From Tel Aviv Airport, we first took a shared taxi to Jerusalem, to the "Arab" bus station, which operates on Saturdays. From there, we took bus 234 to the "Checkpoint 300" border crossing with Palestine. The pedestrian checkpoint is quite interesting, resembling the entrance to a prison with turnstiles. The pedestrian checkpoint can only be passed in one direction, towards Palestine.

  After walking through the tunnel, we entered the Palestinian side and found ourselves in the central part of Bethlehem, just two kilometers away...

 After leaving our belongings at the hostel, we headed to the center of the city...

   In the very center of the city is the Church of the Nativity. The entrance to the church is quite unusual, through a very small passageway...

  It's like entering a cave... 

  Once inside, we made our way to the altar, to the right of which is the descent to the birthplace of Jesus...  

  Nearly all tourists visiting Bethlehem make their way to this place, as the city is primarily associated with the birth of Christ...   

  The birthplace of Jesus is designed in the form of an arch, with a star in the lower part marking the sacred spot that pilgrims from around the world strive to touch...

  The cave is quite small and a bit stuffy. Another sacred spot is the area that served as a stable for livestock...

   Here, lamps are also constantly burning...

  The church grounds also feature a very cozy inner courtyard...

  After completing the "main program" of our tour, we walked around the old city...

  Evening Bethlehem was no less charming...

  The next morning, we decided to launch a drone to see the city located on the hills of the "Holy Land" from above...

  Next, we had a short bus ride to Jerusalem, passing through the checkpoint with document checks, as entry into the Israeli part is forbidden for Palestinians. We were returning from Palestine to Israel....