Bethlehem, Part 3

After the Milk Grotto, we visited an olive wood carving factory and store.  I was ushered to the back room so I could feed Sam while Geoff and Liam toured the factory side.  There was some pretty amazing stuff there.  We bought some wooden spoons and will return to buy a cave to replace the stable for our creche that Geoff bought on a trip to Jerusalem back in 2008.

And now for the not so bright side...the infamous wall.  Geoff and I will post more later about the sad fact that Bethlehem is in "occupied territory" and do our best to explain what that means, how it came about, what's being attempted to remedy problems and sadly to also prevent solutions.  But for now, here are some sections of the wall that caught our eye.  

 A guard tower with evidence of skirmishes

 Graffiti is everywhere.  

 Some of it is quite good.

 And some is just straightforward.

We saw messages to the Pope, 

who visited in May a couple of weeks before we arrived 

and made a big political statement by visiting Bethlehem 

before setting foot anywhere else in Israel.

 References to Banksy

 Gorgeous rendering of a Palestinian highjacker from '69-'70, Leila Khaled

 Touching statement, "Home, that's a place I've never been."

And finally, a Christmas tree surrounded by the wall