Today I ventured to Le Marais (translated as "the marshes" when it used to be just that, which is the traditional Jewish quarter of Paris. (There's another area with a growing Jewish population). For those who know me well, my fascination and appreciation of Judaism and its customs goes back to birth. I really think it all started with me being named Benjamin, but that's my own theory.
I started visiting other spots:
*Le Jardin de l'Hôtel de Sens
*Le Village de Saint-Paul
*L'église de Saint-Paul Saint-Louis (Absolutely gorgeous; those Jesuits sure have taste!)
*Place du Marché Sainte-Catherine (a spot that most tourists don't know of, locals love it)
*Place des Vosges (Again, so gorgeous. I'll be coming back to tour Victor Hugo's house)
And after a few twists and turns (which were quite a few), I finally arrived on rue des Rosiers, the heart of the Marais and the Jewish quarter. I had THE BEST FALAFEL SANDWICH IN THE WORLD HERE:
And later bought not one but 2 hallah's here:
And my stomach couldn't be happier. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank (and partially blame) Lisa for my addiction to Jewish food.
But this allowed me the opportunity to visit one street that pertained to my thesis. At #22 rue des Écouffes, families were taken in the Vel d'Hiv Roundup. I took a photo and kept staring at it. People probably thought I was crazy, because there wasn't a single plaque commemorating the event.
Not.
a.
single.
note.
I saw the outline of where one may have been, but nothing has been replaced. Maybe this event is still something that the French struggle commemorating. Yes, there is a statue by where the Vel d'Hiv used to be, but to have an individual marker on a building speaks more volumes.
I'm going to rest my feet, and then continue exploring. God I've missed being able to hop on a train and go anywhere. I'm going to hate driving next week.
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