Yom Kippur in Paris

Monday was a beautiful day in Paris. High 60's with bright sunshine.  We decided to spend the afternoon at Place des Vosges, and revisit the neighbourhood where we spent our first year in Paris in the Marais. The parks and streets were crowded with people, especially at Place des Vosges which seems to be a through fare for kids from a nearby school. Our bench in the sun afforded excellent people watching and was a good place to work on the day's crossword puzzle and people. 

Place des Vosges is near the traditional Jewish quarter. It looked like Jews from all over the city had come in to the traditional synagogues for Yom Kippur.  Women and children in their sabbath best along with husbands donning hats and yarmulkes. Their dress was distinctive - from heavy dark clothes and wigs to jeans and sandals.  The park soon began to fill with Jews of every sort on break from their synagogue. It seemed that there were multitudes!  Each group different; from the ultra-orthodox, to the merely orthodox to the highly observant to the barely observant. It must have been like this in the 19th Century.  It seemed a perfect day to gather on the grass and benches for a good gossip and to catch up with one another.