Star over Bethlehem

Early this morning we went to Bethlehem- to avoid the tourist crowds in the Church of the Nativity.

Starting from the bus station at Damascus Gate, we took bus 234 for about 5 NIS to the border. There, we had to get off and walk across the border. Since there are no signs, just take the first right, then you'll exit the building and walk past the wall. You don't have to go through passport control to enter the West Bank. On the other side of the wall, there are numerous taxis waiting to take you the good 2 km to the city. After a long negotiation - they wanted to sell us whole tours or collect money per person - we paid 15 NIS to go directly to the Church of the Nativity. It was worth the struggle of waking up early, because we were almost alone in the church. Between the services in the birth cave - you have to go down some stairs on the right and left of the altar - we were allowed to briefly enter. It was very pleasant to enjoy the place without a crowd of other tourists.

The cloister in this church is also nice to visit.

After a short walk through the city, we went back to the border - after another long discussion - for 15 NIS. The taxi driver then, after negotiating the price, said he only wanted to take us to the bus station, where the buses to the border depart. But it's not worth it, because the bus station is right in the city and can be reached on foot. The entry into Israel has stricter conditions, because you have to go through a security check - similar to the airport - and then show your passports! So don't forget ;)

Once back in Jerusalem, we set out to get information about renting a car. Unfortunately, in the end, it was cheaper to rent a car online than on site. So that's what we did. All car rental companies - except Avis - allow you to drive into the West Bank with the rental car. However, only in the allowed areas. This includes almost everything, except Zone A. So all major roads and cities on the Dead Sea can be approached. Cities like Bethlehem or Jericho are not allowed to be approached. But you can't miss it either, because there are red signs at the entrance warning you.

So in the evening we went to the Dead Sea by car, specifically to Kalya.

After the police stopped us in the middle of a road to ask if everything was okay, we didn't dare to drive into the city that was closed off by barriers and instead bought at a gas station at completely overpriced rates. In the end, we believe that we could have simply driven into the city.

We'll be braver next time...