May 31st is the feast of the Visitation.  Of course, I had to go to the site of the Visitation and the Birthplace  of St. John the Baptist.  Both are located in a town on the outskirts of Jerusalem name Ein Karem.  I took 4 others along with me.  The place to pick up the Israeli Bus is very complicated but after we found the right bus we were in business.  You have to walk up a hill to the Church of the Visitation.  There were many Franciscans celbrating the Feast there.  It is very inspiring to see the Words that Mary spoke to Elizabeth printed on tile in so many languages.  Two women with miraculous pregnancies greeting each other.  Then we went back down the hill and up a little one to the Church of the Birthplace of John the Baptist. In the Scripture it says, Mary went into the hill Country.  Boy, is that ever right.  The school packed a lunch for us and we ate it in this quaint little town and returned late in the afternoon.  We had evening prayer to start off the session and then a wonderful meal.  Tomorrow starts the formal part of our program.  So that means it will cut into my wandering around time. Above are pictures of the birth site of St. John the Baptist and the well where Mary & Elizabeth met each other.