Spring in Jerusalem

Christine Sakakibara was my very special guide to this valley just outside Jerusalem.

Ein Kerem ( عين كارم‎; עין כרם‎) literally, "Spring of the Vineyard" and commonly known as Ein Karem is a picturesque neighborhood nestled in the hills of southwest Jerusalem.

According to tradition, this is thesite where John the Baptist was born, hence Ein Kerem's attraction to Christian pilgrims and the proliferation of churches and monasteries.