Nazareth to Bethllehem

A Long Wearisome Journey

They walked 80 miles, often across rough and dangerous country. They will have walked largley at night to avoid the heat of the day (NO SNOW!) and may well have joined a group walking party for protection.

Here in the UK we can still travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem. There is no letter Z in Welsh so the modern spelling is NaSareth. But it used to be written as per the Bible location. 

The old post office still bears the sign, but is long closed.

The tiny village is a few miles south of Caernarfon, just off the A487.

When fbb visited the area many may years ago he stayed near Nasareth. Then very occasional service 1 buses were diverted via the village.

Now, Traws Cymru T22 runs every two hours.

A journey leaving Nasareth at 1030 will take us ti Porthmadog.

The stop is called Australia, after the pub nearby.

We have an hour for coffee and buns before setting off on the lengthy part of out journey starting with Traws Cymru T2.

This is a long route, leaving at 1205.

We will be travelling for two and a half hours all the way to Aberystwyth ...

... via Dollgellau arriving at 1425. Here we change to Traws Cymru T1 ...

... for another long drag to Carmarthen.

Another two and a half hours (nearly) from 1435 to 1657.

Again the Traws Cymru bus is a branded good quality vehicle.

The next interchange is at Carmarthen bus station ...

... where, after a brief stop we enter First Bus territory.

Here we need a 129 for out shorter onward journey. departing at 1705.

It would appear that First Cymru have yet another new livery ...

But now things get a little confusing with Welsh and English Traveline giving a different option. England offers an interchange with First Cymru X13 at Tir-y-Dail, a suburb of Ammanford ..,

... with a tight connection 1823 to 1827!

Whereas Wales offers a train ride for just one stop from Ammanford Station.

Both deposit the weary passenger at Fairfach railway station which is, erm, modest!

Both options get you there at about 1840 and here there is a real problem!

There are no buses to Bethlehem, just a four mile walk! Does Fairfach have taxis? Possibly at Llandeilo a short distance north. 

But the lack of buses at Bethlehem is odd because ...

... the village has a splendid and relatively new bus shelter! But no buses!

It did have a Post Office ...

... which for some reason was very busy at this time of year!

Alas, the Post Office is closed.

No postmarking service is now available, but the community hall adjoining the old post office does offer a commemorative but not postal hand stamp fo visitors.

It's not the same at all.

==================

"NOT the Advent Calendar", but ...

     The      

  CHRIST -mas 

  Criss-muss  

   Confusion  

 Critique  25 

Amxious about Angels ...

Suspicious of Seraphs ...

Challenges by Cherubs ...

Whilst later Jewish religion, in the dark period of 400 years between the end of the Old Testament and the start of the New, had a complex angelology, the Bible picture is simple.

Whilst angels are presumably sexless, they are always given male names and male stereotypes. They are never voluptuous women or chubby little babies.

Furthermore in heaven they always have six wings, not two.

On earth they never have wings. The most other-worldy characteristic is that sometimes they are reported as "shining".

So here, possibly, is one shining one ...

And here is a possible host thereof!

So why do some folk spend a lot of time and mental energy trying to explain what the shepherds saw.

They saw something very scary indeed. They saw God stepping from his realm into the earth's cosmos and giving a divine meaning to a baby in a manger.

The fact that the shepherds left their flocks and went, thus risking dismissal, flogging or worse, suggests that the angels were real.

Without the angels, why would they bother.

What thy found in Bethlehem was not "pretty" at all.

It was either too weird to be real OR so weird it had to be real.

So you can probably ditch the bright colours, certainly Mary's blue frock and the Persil white "swaddling cloths" and substitute use an overall khaki!

Odd, isn't it, that such a non event should change the course of history, even restarting the calendar!

Of course, if it is all true, then it would change things massively.

Of course it is true!!

=======================

  Next Christmas Quiz blog : Thursday 26th Dec