Wednesday, 12 October 2016 (Yom Kippur 5777)

I slept well last night and woke up early. I didn't hurry to get up, but I did eventually and went for a slow, leisurely walk around the big loop. I took quite a few pictures, including today's pic of the day, showing a 24/7 convenience store, which is almost ALWAYS open, closed:

A little later in the morning, I went out for another walk and took many MORE pictures, mostly of kids and adults playing, walking, and riding bikes in the streets. What fun!

In the late afternoon, I went for yet another walk, taking even more pictures.

In the evening, after the holiday ended, I decided to break my fast by eating breakfast -- that is, I ate pretty much a standard (for me) breakfast, only adding a little bit to it.

In summary, this was a very interesting Yom Kippur for me -- perhaps the most interesting ever. I really felt the spirit of the day, at least as it is here in Israel.

Perhaps the most surprising thing was something I observed first thing this morning. At 5:30-6:00 a.m., there were groups of young people (teens and maybe 20s) gathered on the kikars (both the one nearest me and the "traffic light" kikar further down Argaman). Some groups were single-gender, but many were mixed. Most if not all the guys were wearing kipot. All the groups were conversing in the usual lively Israeli fashion. I have never before seen anything like that so early in the morning. Here's a pictures of one of the groups:

I had decided at pretty much the last minute to fast this year, but I nevertheless had a very easy fast. I only felt slightly hungry a few times. I did drink LOTS of water, though.

I walked a total of 11.4 kilometers today.