will i am's delayed diary

On Saturday, we entered the Old City of Jerusalem via the Lion's Gate. Sherry brought us there via an uncommon trail that traverses a Muslim cemetery. The Lion's Gate is not very wide and is paved with stones worn smooth from use. Behind it is the Muslim Quarter, where cars and motorcycles zip in and out at high speed. Tourists who block traffic are not welcome. These Muslims have stayed in the Old City for generations and don't mind making money off Christian pilgrims at all by opening religious merchandise stores. The first stop of the day was the Church of St. Anne , a medieval church that's very bare, very austere. The caretaker, a Missionaries of Africa priest, reprimanded visitors who talk in the church like a marketplace. But we were allowed to sing Marian hymns, taking full advantage of the excellent acoustics. Down in the crypt is the place where the Crusaders believed was the birthplace of Mother Mary. Outside is the ruins of medicinal pools. Vi

The second day in Bethlehem was a marathon session. Started bright and early at the Church of St. Catherine , adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, where we zoomed down to the caves for morning mass at the Chapel of St. Joseph ( on his feast day no less ). Once mass was ended, we were given the chance to look around the caves. It was said that St. Jerome translated the first Bible into Latin in those caves. The Greek Orthodox Church walled up the cave to take control of the spot where Jesus Christ was born, and the Manger. The Church of Nativity ( UNESCO World Heritage Site ) is acknowledged as the birthplace of Jesus by several denominations and the oldest major church in Holy Land. And through the tumultuous history of Holy Land, the grotto had remained unscathed, making it the oldest site continuously used for Christian worship. Once mass was ended, we were rushed over to the Basilica of the Nativity to start queuing up to go down to the grotto. Unlike the Catholic side,