Last day but one... its all gone so quickly and yet I feel so tired I'm longing to return home and 'chew' on this!

The photos are:

One of the beautiful carved holes for a light in the cave at Bethlehem where we had Mass. Obviously not original but I just loved its simplicity and underlying message.

The second is from the rehabilitation centre in Beit Jala (I'll check that spelling too, but not now!) If you can't quite make out the words it says "Every patient is first and foremost a human being"

(As I write this our hotel is full and buzzing with locals, it feels like Friday night at the Beehive - in Norwich!)

I keep recalling things I meant to say earlier. The temperature on Jericho yesterday reached 41 C! I drank litres of water and I am sure most of it evaporated from my skin!

I have to tell you about mustard trees! For the first time in my life I have seen them and on the way to Bethlehem today I saw loads! But then when you think about how tiny the seed is its not surprising! But they grow everywhere, interesting to consider that alongside the parable Jesus told about mustard seed.

We caught sight of lots of sheep and their shepherds. Biblical looking sheep with the shaggy ears. They roamed the hills around Bethlehem. It seemed just 'right'.

However, the day started with a trip to the palace of Herod the Great. It was truly magnificent! He created a hill by using the local resources and then kept people busy on building projects for years - even beyond his death. We walked round the walls of the circular towers.

Walls were a theme today. We saw tiny terraces that were farmed and marked out by stone walls. We also saw the wall that is being constructed to mark the two communities who live cheek by jowl in the land. I say two but its not that simple in many ways.

The sand storm added to the general dustiness and I really got the whole Biblical issue about foot washing and following in the dust of your rabbi...

The star photo comes from a grotto at Shepherds Fields. I have to say there is an incongruity about singing carols in blazing heat (but they do it all the time in Oz!) We had our Mass there and looking out from the simplicity of the caves to the expanding townships all around was quite compelling.

For lunch we went to a rehabilitation centre. I shall probably say more about this when I've had time to think about it but it was a wonderful place and we all got a lot out of it, as well as a great meal!

Surreal moment for today (and yesterday) was the number of souvenir shops that were named so 'obviously' - yesterday it was Mary and Martha's shop, today I saw Boaz' and even John the Baptist's emporiums...!!

Our final visit of the day was to the Church of the Nativity as we climax towards the end of our journey. To say it was a less than spiritual experience is stretching reality. There were so many people there and the queue was so long that by the time we reached the holy site it was handbags at ten paces! In fact some one's mobile phone went off while we were in the most sacred of places - and he answered it! Needless to say he wasn't in out group!!!!

It was still a fascinating day though. I am now learning about how the reality that is this land impacts on its future. How its complicated past colours the days ahead. So not only am I on a religious/faith journey I am also understanding cultural issues in a whole new way.

Did I say that the photo was from the cave we worshipped in...?

I'm close to saturation point... so much to absorb in such a short time and tomorrow we do the the whole of Holy Week, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, in a day!!!