Paris, the Marais and the Place des Vosges

Today we visited Le Marais which is an historic district on the Right Bank of the Seine.  At one time it was the aristocratic district of Paris and as such it hosts many outstanding architectural buildings.After the Royal Square (Place Royale, now place des Vosges) was designed under King Henri IV, in 1605, the Marais was French nobility's favorite place of residence.  It is a perfect square with a surround of arcades and was the prototype of all future squares of residence in Europe.

Place des Vosges

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Lamps in the Place des Vosges

A short walk takes one from the Place des Vosges, to what was, and is, an area hosting one of Paris' main Jewish communities. At the end of the 19th century and during the first half of the 20th, the district around the rue des Rosiers, refered to as the"Pletzl", welcomed many Eastern European Jews. But, during World War II the community was targeted by the Nazis who were occupying France.

The rue des Rosiers is still a major centre of the Paris Jewish community, which has largely renewed itself since the 1990s. Public notices announce Jewish events, bookshops specialise in Jewish books and numerous restaurants and other outlets sell kosher food. We enjoyed our stroll along stopping for afternoon tea along the rue vieille du Temple.

Wrapping Tefillin

A street in the Jewish district

We headed for home but on the way decided to go to the Place du Tertre for a late afternoon glass of wine.  One of those things that we are not used to is the presence of armed soldiers.  One even sees them on the Metro, carrying their weapons.  Today, as we went for a drink, there were several groups of soldiers patrolling. We have seen them at several other places in Paris including Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower and all other important landmarks.  Clearly these would be major psychological targets for terrorists.  There is also a large police presence on the buses and on the Metro.  It is an insecure world these days.

Armed soldiers near Sacre Coeur