Last Day in Israel -- Visit to Bethlehem

Bethlehem (from the World English Dictionary):  A town in the West Bank near Jerusalem; birthplace of Jesus and early home of King David. 
Little did I know how close to Bethlehem I was during the Jerusalem Marathon last Friday.  The border crossing into Bethlehem in the West Bank was less than a mile from my turn-around at 20Km.  Picked up by a Taxi around 9am following breakfast, I was taken to a gift shop where three others, a family from France, and I were treated to Turkish coffee and a look around the shop.  The tour operators arranged to drive us across the border vs walking.  They said it was much easier.  The van took us through the border crossing into the West Bank of Palestine Authority without incident.  I'm used to seeing police and military uniforms carrying weapons and the border guards were no different. 
Weather was nice and sunny as the van continued through Bethlehem, also full of hills, to locate our guide.  The guide was very nice and spoke English very well.  The French family understood him as they were fluent in English as well.  Our first stop was the Church of Mary, the place where her mother's milk dropped to the ground which was instantly covered in white--the explanation of the guide.  The new church was built atop the cave or grotto where the first church was thought to have been.  This is what I've seen throughout my visit to Israel, also known as the Holy Land. 
The next stop was the Shepherd's in the Field Church in the valley below the Church of the Nativity.  From Shepherds field in the distance I could see the border between the West Bank and Jerusalem, much like what I saw between Israel and Jordan on the previous day--fence with barbed wire with a patrol road alongside.  Up close were the archeological ruins of the ancient civilization.
The Church at this location was built with funds donated by Canadian Catholics.  Small sanctuary where mass is held with the altar in the center of the round room.  Was able to view the interior when the service or mass was over.
The last stop on the tour was the Church of the Nativity--the place where Jesus was thought to have been born.  Again, the church was built over the cave or grotto where the stable and manger where thought to have been.  Of course it was crowded because it was Sunday, the day of Christian worship.  The guide made arrangements with the archbishop to let me and the French family observe the last 10 minutes of mass in the birthplace below the main altar.  Very interesting with the songs, chants, and insence before communion completed the service.  We were rushed through as the guide pointed out the birthplace of Christ, the manger, and the place where the gifts from the three wise men were placed in the tiny room.
The local parishioners were coming out of their Sunday mass at the church upstairs, so went into this one too. 
From there the tour was over and once again was back in the van and headed through Bethlehem and back across the border in to Jerusalem.  There a taxi awaited to take all of us back to our respective hotels.
My stop was first, but the way was blocked by a protest by the Parliament building.