Holy Sepulchre in the dawn...

Jeff and I thought a trip back in the dawn to Holy Sepulchre church would be a cool adventure. After all, yesterday afternoon, we were already pretty much on overload from the Israeli Museum and the Dome of the rock, and St Annes and the Dead Sea Scrolls and the two speaker presentations.

So at 5:15 we struck off, down through the Damascus gate and up the long long street through the main Suq -- much of which was in the dark, except for the dozens of feral kitties prowling for garbage. It was so early, that St George's gates were still locked -- and we were locked in. Fortunately we remembered the back way and the secret button to push to get that back gate open.

The church itself was already open; dozens of other folks already were there, although not nearly in the numbers we experienced yesterday. We hit as many of the chapels as were open, although several we saw yesterday were not -- including the Armenian Excavation area that somehow Nigel and our tour guide had conned our way into. That spot, which is the eastern section of the great rock of Golgotha, is entered through a locked grill, -- and apparently is so secret that even the great Holy Land guide by Fr Murphy OConner doesn't even mention it.

Oh! I'm in the garden close again -- breakfest is just over - and there is that Yellow-vented Bulbul again singing -- along with the Hooded Crows cawing. Earlier some flicker looking bird flew by, but I have no idea what that one was.

Bethlehem is on the schedule for today; morning prayer is about to start.