There are other reasons to visit Bethlehem too. There is the tomb of Rachel outside the town – couldnt get there. Rachel, the wife of Jacob, the mother of Joseph – him of the amazing technicolor dreamcoat? We saw the ruins of a tower that was built in ancient times to commemorate her death.  

Its also the birthplace of David, dont know how that’s commemorated. But we also saw in a drive-by, “Ruth’s Fields”, and some of them are still fields. The reference is to the fields that Ruth gleaned, to get near Boaz. Ruth is, for the Biblically challenged, one of the ancestors of King David ( great-grandmother???). She is the Moabite daughter-in-law who did not abandon her destitute mother-in-law, but followed her back to Bethlehem. The famous quote attributed to her – “Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God”.  I guess she has a good claim to be the Saint for daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law!