so the taxi driver who drove me to the herodium and into bethlehem kept going on and on about the various sites, among them something called "shepherd's field." i had no idea what shepherd's field was (they didn't cover this stuff in hebrew school), but i nodded my head anyway, "of course, shepherd's field! i'd love to see that."

and so eventually i got plopped down at the entrance to shepherd's field. i wandered around, still unclear what the hell was supposed to have happened here.