Ein Kerem--October 23

Ein Kerem-- According to Christian tradition, this is the birthplace of John the Baptist. Our first stop was Mary'sEin Kerem is a neighborhood in the hills of southwest Jerusalem. Spring. This village fresh-water spring is the traditional location where Mary and Elizabeth met. We walked up a hill from there to see the Russian Orthodox Mission, but it was closed. There was a really funny sign there, so we took pictures. Then we went to the Church of the Visitation. This is the traditional site where Mary visited Elizabeth when both of them were pregnant. There was a church there that we visited where some of us sat in on a Catholic Mass. It was a really interesting experience that I really enjoyed. Then we visited the Church of St. John the Baptist. The church supposedly houses the cave where John the Baptist was born. One of our final stops of the day was Les Soeurs de Notre-Dame de Sion Monastery buried in its garden. 13 nuns from the order of Les Soeurs de. This monastery was founded by the Jewish convert brothers Theodore and Alfonse Retisbon of France, as an orphanage. Alfonse himself lived in the monastery and is Notre-Dame de Sion (Sisters of Our Lady of Zion) now occupy the site. There is a church on the site, but we couldn't go in because a group was meeting there. We did walk the grounds and take some beautiful pictures. We couldn't leave Ein Kerem without getting ice cream. I got German Chocolate and Coconut, and it was absolutely amazing! It was a good day!