Welcome

"I am from England" seems to go down exceptionally well, being from London even better.
In the past week I have made forays to Bethlehem and Jericho in the West Bank and Ein Gedi, South of Jerusalem on the banks of the Dead Sea.
In Bethlehem I visited the Church of the Nativity (the original basilica was built by Emperor Constantine in AD325). It was crammed with tour groups. I bumped into Aled Jones, the Welsh singer, in Milk Grotto where Mary and Joseph sheltered when on the run from Herod. A lovely man (who wanted to go to England but had no friends there) showed me around the church and grottos where the Angel of the Lord appeared to the Shepherds. Throughout the visit I kept coming across the same taxi driver whose offer of a tour I had to keep refusing.
My trip to Jericho took me further into the West bank. On the way we stopped in a town called Asarya where I changed sherut. A guy about my age helpfully tapped me on the shoulder and indicated to me that my bra strap (blue) was showing and I should take out my tongue stud. The tongue stud may have been dodgy because it's an unorthodox adornment or because it's ramadam and so it looks as though i'm eating something when noone else is.
In Jericho a man named Nial (who gleefully claimed his cousin was from Manchester) insisted on driving me around to see the Monastery of St George on the Mount of Temption, where Jesus spent forty days in the desert; the Alisha spring which was probably what draw settlers to this boiling spot 250m below sea level 10,000 years ago; and the sycamore tree which is reputedly the very one mentioned in the book of Luke in the new testament. Nial would accept no payment, made me a gift of fresh dates, told me he had split from his wife because she thought in the old way and insisted that i phone him when I arrived in Jerusalem to ensure I got back safe. Hmm..
Ein Gedi is a stunning oasis on the banks of the Dead Sea, which lies 400m below sea level. I bathed in the Sea and discovered that you really do float. The novelty wore off swiftly as i realised that that is all you can do. I also visited the Kibbutz which is the only botanical garden within which there is a community living. It is entirely self sufficient with about 500 inhabitants, school, zoo, dining facilities, shop amd swimming pool. I stayed in the nearby youth hostel and spent the evening with a German guy visiting the area to cure his psoriasis and an Israeli who'd spent 4 years in the army, said his name was Benny Rambo, was now a masseur and took pleasure in showing us his favourite spots. This involved us hairing up and down the one road in his jeep and lots of jokes about the polite English.