and even more July 11 - Ramallah and Taybeh

After our morning at the wall and with Sabeel, we headed to Ramallah. I wrote in my journal, "This felt like a real big city, where people live and work. It was neat to see that." We had free time in Ramallah and split off into smaller groups... I obviously chose the group that was prioritizing sampling Ramallah's renowned ice cream. (remember how ice cream is usually tops for me?) We visited Baladna - recommended by several of the Palestinians in the group - and it did not disappoint.

We also went to see two churches in Ramallah, and then to a shady patio for a cold drink (I know... rough afternoon). We stayed there for awhile and chatted - it was a perfect way to spend an afternoon. On the way back to the bus, we stopped in to a store to look for a bathing suit for someone who had forgotten hers (stay tuned for stories of the Dead Sea!). Like grocery stores, it is always cool to see what shops are like in a different country.

When we were finished in Ramallah, we headed to Taybeh. It was a beautiful drive through the West Bank countryside - rocky hills and valleys. Not like anything I've ever seen before. And lots of olive trees. Beautiful.

We stayed in a guest house in Taybeh with beautiful big, windy balconies where we could look out over the town and the fields of olive trees. We met one of the priests from the town, who told us a bit about Taybeh. The town is the only Christian town in the West Bank - other faiths are not excluded, it's just that there are no mosques or synagogues in the town. About 1500 people live there. The town is surrounded by settlements, but they have not had too many issues with settlers coming in. Two other notable things about Taybeh: it is mentioned in the Bible - after Lazarus' resurrection, Jesus came to Taybeh. (Taybeh used to be called Ephraim.) Also interesting - there is a successful brewery in the town. Only in the all-Christian town would you find such a thing... :) But more about that another day.

Taybeh

Trying, to no avail, to find the wifi signal

olive trees