The Wall

I suppose that this is the kind of vacation only a crazy man would do, but I have just finished a week in Israel with my mom and Dooz. Of course, given our propensity not to be in really nice places for extended periods, we also went to Jericho and Bethlehem, both of which are under the control of the Palestinian Authority.

Amazingly, the nicest people we met were in those two cities. They were so happy to see someone—anyone. My sense is that Americans don’t venture into those areas much—at least not without being surrounded by a herd of fellow tour-group people. And from the looks of the boarded up store fronts, there aren't many of those either.

Here are some wall pictures. I will write more when I sort through my emotions a bit. But for now, when you see the view of the little town of Bethlehem on the TV this holiday season, you should remember that for many, this is the view of the city they see. Not exactly like the song.