Merry Christmas!
By Gary Marsh
@garymarsh6 (23393)
United Kingdom
December 26, 2022 2:27am CST
I dropped by for a while yesterday to try & wish my friends here a lovely Christmas. I am still trying to work my way through & find my friends hopefully l can find you & send my best wishes to you.
I have had a very nice year this year & recently l visited Oberammagau to see the Passion play & also Israel. We visited Nazareth, Jerusalem and Bethlehem & had the most wonderful & poignant time. I never ever thought l would get to see these places but l am content to have visited & seen these places with my own eyes. We also visited the Mount of Beatitudes, the sea of Galilee, The wailing wall,Gardens of Gethsemane & the Church of all Nations. All the places one has read about in the Bible.
We walked the Via Delarosa visiting the stations of the cross & finally reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulcher & calvery. For me it was simply amazing.
I did not realise how Hilly Jerusalem was going to be. I would love to go back one day & spend more time there. If that will ever happens is Gods will.
The photo marks the spot where the birth of Jesus is supposed to have been born in Bethlehem. As Bethlehem is in the Palestinian territories it was quite a rigmarole crossing the border. Our Israeli tour guide was not allowed to enter & once we were inside a Palestinian guide took over for the visit.
The photo is of the spot supposedly marking the place where Jesus was born in Bethlehem
18 people like this
16 responses
@xFiacre (12602)
• Ireland
26 Dec 22
@garymarsh6 May there be many more happy trips up ahead.
3 people like this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
26 Dec 22
Indeed Thank you. In 12 days time l am off for 4 months!
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
27 Dec 22
@xFiacre I am going on a World cruise from the 7th January to the end of April. I will pop a post on soon.
2 people like this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
26 Dec 22
Nazareth was in the north but Bethlehem was not too far from Jerusalem.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
27 Dec 22
@Adie04 Yes. Israel is beautiful.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
26 Dec 22
I count my blessings. Yes thank you. It will be a busy day today my daughter & family are going to be here for the day!
2 people like this
.@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
26 Dec 22
So true. There is so much hatred it is so sad. Why people can not just live in harmony the world would be a better place. I hope one day you manage to go there too!
1 person likes this
@Kasjnak (4492)
• Romania
26 Dec 22
@garymarsh6 if you stop to think about all the bad things happening in the world, you'll never have a happy day in your life. Just try to bring your dose of happiness in the world, that's all we can do.
And thank you, I hope so too 
.
.1 person likes this
@allknowing (130064)
• India
26 Dec 22
This is a place I always wanted to go but somehow it never happened.
Nice to read your post and I almost felt I visited there Thank you.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
27 Dec 22
It was an amazing experience visiting the places you read about in the Bible. Completely different to how you think of them.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (458377)
• Switzerland
26 Dec 22
@garymarsh6 Thank you Gary, what a nice thing to say.
Thank you Gary, what a nice thing to say.1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
26 Dec 22
Hopefully you can do it through my eyes Anna!
1 person likes this
@Fleura (29130)
• United Kingdom
26 Dec 22
What an amazing trip, and how magical to really be in those places with the names that we know so well they are almost mythical! It's so sad that nowadays they are so controversial. I hope you will find a bit of time to write about them for us!
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
27 Dec 22
It is surprising the pictures you conjure up in your mind but nothing at all like it in reality. Life must have been so very hard for everyone back then.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
26 Dec 22
It was amazing Valerie. Such a shame there is so much hatred in the world though.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
27 Dec 22
@just4him It was really amazing & so thought provoking.
1 person likes this
@just4him (306527)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
26 Dec 22
@garymarsh6 Yes, that is a shame. I'm so glad you had the opportunity of a lifetime to walk those steps Jesus took, and saw the places He traveled.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
27 Dec 22
Simply stunning & in three months time l will be in Australia for the first time ever but at the other side of the country to you!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325877)
• Rockingham, Australia
28 Dec 22
@garymarsh6 How great is that? I do hope you like our country even if you won't be in the best part. 
1 person likes this
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