The Sights and Sounds of Bethlehem

• Introduction to Israel
• American Airlines LAX Flagship Lounge
• Chicago O’Hare American Airlines Flagship Lounge
• American Airlines ORD-LHR 777 Business Class
• American Airlines Arrivals Lounge at London Heathrow
• Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel Review
• Intercontinental Bethlehem (Jacir Palace) Hotel Review
• Le Meridien Dead Sea Hotel Review
• Park Plaza Orchid Tel Aviv Hotel Review
• Is Israel Safe for Tourists?
• The Sights and Sounds of Bethlehem
• The Sights and Sounds of Jerusalem
• The Sights and Sounds of Masada
• The Sights and Sounds of the Dead Sea
• The Sights and Sounds of the Negev Desert
• The Sights and Sounds of Tel Aviv
• Scam City: Israel Edition
• The Various Eats in Israel
• Tel Aviv Airport Dan Lounge
• Paris CDG American Airlines Admiral’s Club Lounge

Manger Square is a town in old city Bethlehem where it is one of the main tourist attractions and serves as a meeting place for local Palestinians. There is also a visitors center and a Bethlehem Peace Center for tourist information, maps, and guides since there are a lot of things to do in Bethlehem.

Manger Square

Mosque of Omar

Bethlehem Peace Center

The Church of the Nativity is located right across the street from Manger Square is it’s the birthplace of baby Jesus Christ. Below are some pictures of the exteriors of the church. You need to crouch at the main entrance of the church in order to enter.

The inside of the church was crowded with tourists lined up to go see the birthplace of baby Jesus Christ.

You can skip the line if you head over to the LEFT side of the picture below if you are not travelling in a group. Just let the security personnel know that it is just a small group of 2 or 3 of you guys and he will let you bypass the massive line.

The birthplace of baby Jesus Christ is what looks to be a fireplace and a lot of people were praying and kissing the floor at the exact spot where Jesus was born.

After heading out of the Church of the Nativity, I wanted to buy an Arabic headcover as a souviner so I went to one of the many shops in Bethlehem in the alleyways of Manger Square.

I found a red checkered Arabic head scarf that I liked and asked the shopkeeper to help me wrap it around my head.

My new Arabic head scarf

After shopping, I went to the Milk Grotto nearby which is a Franciscan chapel. Legend has it that the Virgin Mary was nursing baby Jesus Christ when a drop of her breastmilk fell to the ground turning the whole chapel white.

Near Rachel’s Tomb is a place called Aida Refugee Camp where it houses Palestinians that have been traumatized during the devastating First and Second Intifadas war period.