I read a lot, books I mean, and have done so for a long time. The first book I read was Tolkien’s The Hobbit as a nine year old, quickly followed by The Lord of the Rings and many, many more. It’s a passion of mine and I have learned many things by reading about the deeds and experiences of others and have been entertained by countless fictional books from many genres. I think my love of reading, and information, is why I get so vocal, and disappointed, at some of the more cursory posts on Steemit which, is after all, a blogging site. I just like reading and learning...No chance of that changing now at the age of 48!
I like books. Real ones. There’s something special about sitting quietly with book in hand reading the words; The soft rustle of the pages turning as I make my way through, a cup of coffee and some cake as well; What a great way to spend an afternoon...I don’t get the same enjoyment from ebooks. As most know I also love travel and combining the two, travel and reading often happens as I’ve always got a book with me. With a trip coming up shortly I was reminded of my last trip to Europe and a place I came across in Paris.
The Shakespeare and Company bookshop is an English-language bookshop situated right in the heart of Paris. It lies opposite Notre Dame on the banks of the Seine. It opened in 1951 and quickly became a Left-Bank institution for lovers of the written word. Founded by an American man called George Whitman it sits at 37 rue de la Bûcherie which is also Kilometer Zero; The point at which all French roads begin. Cool huh? The early-17th century building was formerly a monastery called La Maison du Mustier. It’s still a place of quiet reflection and studiousness however there’s not a monk to be seen; Not when I was there anyway.
We came across the bookshop by chance after a visit to the Conciergerie, the infamous prison that held many prisoners prior to beheading including Marie Antoinette (a fascinating place). We tend to walk a lot when on holiday and fortunately came across the bookshop and went in for a look. So glad we did.
The place is covered in books as you might imagine but it’s not like any bookshop I’ve ever been in before or since. It was...eclectic I guess. There were comfy chairs and sofa’s all over the place and many books where people were ensconced with a book. It was awesome. It’s only a short walk from the Sorbonne (University of Paris) and so there’s plenty of students there but there were people from all walks of life, all quietly engaged in finding and perusing books. Love it!
We spent about two hours in there poking around and even found a small corner with a comfy couch to nestle into and read for a bit. I bought Victor Hugo’s 1831 book Hunchback of Notre-dame which takes pride of place on top of my piano here at home with a couple of other prized books. So, here’s me snuggled with my wife on a couch in Shakespeare and Company bookshop reading the Hunchback of Notre-dame, directly across from Notre-dame! Perfect.
I guess you’d have to be a book lover like me to understand how cool that was but you have to appreciate the coolness-factor of it right? Or not maybe. The images in this blog are from that visit. You can see how eclectic the bookshop is with books everywhere and why a book lover would feel right at home.
We’ll go back there on our next visit for sure and if you manage to get there it’s worth your time. Most people would never know it existed; They visit Notre Dame right across the Seine and other ‘tourist’ destinations and yet miss this little gem right in front of them. I’m not sure when we’ll be back, next year or maybe 2020 maybe but I know we will...Just like I know I’ll be back to my favourite boulangerie (bakery) as well. Best bread ever!
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