Tonight I got to check off yet another item on my Paris Bucket List: buying a book from Shakespeare and Company.
I honesty only recently discovered the book lover’s dream near Notre Dame and am ashamed of myself for this fact. However, I know about it now and I believe we’re already in a spiral of endlessly unrelenting love. I spent my whole evening tonight curled up on one of the velvet couches upstairs with Jack Kerouac’s “On The Road.” The sporadic pianists who came through to test out their skills for those filling the room enhanced the night tenfold and the dark aroma of Paris’ sweet and sultry scent spilling into the room completed the evening. A literary enthusiast’s actual dream.
As I was perusing the shelves for my dark pleasure, Dracula, I stumbled upon the most perfect copy I’ve ever seen. Mysterious grey and hypnotizing black cloth envelop the pages in beautiful simplicity; I immediately plucked the book up and held it close, knowing my decision on what book to actually buy first had been made. My favorite book in the perfect wrapping, I couldn’t be happier.
Receiving the famous Shakespeare and Company stamp upon purchase, I strolled out into the Parisian night with a grand smile painted across my face. The only way to end this wonderful night, I thought to myself, is to stroll home in the beautiful weather, while listening to the crisp lullabies of Edith Piaf.
So that’s what I did.
I turned off the world and watched the crystal-lit Seine dance along with the lights of the city and hummed sweet French classics to myself in the night air.
Quite the perfect end to yet another wonderful Parisian day.
The Wandering Sunflower 