Unfortunately a number of members of the group were unwell during the night and this morning. The Hotel Ararat kindly allowed them to stay in bed until 12 instead of having to be out of the rooms by 9.30.
So I left Julie in bed and walked with some of the others up to Manger Square. We walked up Milk Grotto to the church there where there is a picture of Mary nursing baby Jesus. The church appears to be built in a cave.
We walked back down Milk Grotto street looking in the souvenir shops and seeing some of them being made in small factories behind the shops.
We had lunch – more falafels, pitta bread and humous and then returned to the hotel. Loaded the bags and the sick people! and set off for our next stop over in Nablus.
On the way though we stopped at an olive wood wholesaler in Beit Sahour where we were able to buy olive wood souvenirs at good prices. Juie bought a wiggly fish and a bowl with 5 loaves and 2 fish. I bought some fish shaped bowls.
We reached the hotel in Nablus about 4pm and some went out to look at the old city but Julie, although feeling better than she had in morning, was still feeling tired so we stayed in and rested in our room until dinner – on the roof terrace.