In Bethlehem

We finally got to check in to our hotel, the Paradise Hotel in Bethlehem. Although we were told not to expect "luxurious," our room was clean, pleasant, with plenty of hot water. Dinner was an enormous selection of fish, hummus, pita breads, all kinds of relishes and veggies, mashed and boiled potatoes, fruit, chicken, yogurt, and I don't know what else! I had always heard that the Mediterranean diet was healthy for you with a lot of fruit and vegetables and little fat, but if I ate all this, I would soon gain several pounds! Dessert was a small banana and a baby pear.

There were 142 pilgrims on the trip -- it took three plane flights to get us all to the Holy Land, and three buses to tour. We were on the yellow bus; others were on either the blue bus or the green bus! Most of the pilgrims were from Arkansas, but there were people from Virginia, Minnesota, and even California. So many people required extensive coordination, so each bus had along with the driver, a local guide, a volunteer to keep us together, and one of the leaders who alternated between buses. Our volunteer was Dawn, and she did a great job! The leaders were Cackie Upchurch, Father Alex, Bishop Taylor, and sometimes Melea Hargett, the editor of the Arkansas Catholic.