Paris in July: Visiting Shakespeare and Co

When I am reading, I am always on the lookout for quotes about books, food and Christmas with the intention of sharing them at some point. The other quotes I look out for are about Paris and I save them for when I need them. An example of when I would need them would be during Paris in July!

I read The Flip Side by James Bailey late last year, and it was a fun, easy read. It sits firmly in the rom com category, written from a male perspective. It was a somewhat entertaining read. Just don't look for too much depth. The premise is that the main character, Josh, proposes to his long term partner he had no idea that she would not accept. Suddenly, he is alone, jobless, living at home with his parents and quite depressed. 

He decides that given that he has made such a mess of his life, that it can't be any worse to make all of his decisions, whether big or small, on the flip of a coin. 

Without spoiling a tiny fraction of the book involves a quick trip to Paris in search of "her" which I thought I would share as part of Paris in July.

When we were planning to visit Paris last year, part of our plan was to spend a day walking along the Seine including the bouqquinistes! Visiting Shakespeare and Co and the bouquinistes was also definitely on our must do list. It feels like you can't be a book lover and visit Paris without doing at least one of those things right?

By the time I reach the yellow facade of the Shakespeare and Company bookstore opposite Notre-Dame, my feet are exhausted from all the walking. There is a hive of activity outside, with people sitting out, eating slices of quiche and cake at the adjuoining cafe. Inside, the shop is packed, with tourists flowing in and out, many flouting the request for no photographs as they upload an artsy picture to Instagram. The shop is indeed extremely photogenic. It's beautiful. From the mosaic floor to the rustic chandelier swinging overhead to the quotes painted on the walls and stairs, the books look happy to be here. There is a warren of narrow passageways for customers to navigate, and a traffic jam is forming between the Blue Oyster Tearoom and the Old Smoky Reading Room. I squeeze through, taking the creaky red staircase through to the first floor, and that's when I see it, painted in black type above the door frame.

'Be not inhospitable to strangers lest they be angels in disguise.

And then.....

With renewed hope, I bound around the first floor, desperately hoping to turn a corner and see her. I walk past someone typing away on a vintage typewriter and listen in to what appears to be a book club with a collection of people, all wearing cardigans, pretentiously debating the meaning of Tristam Shandy. I step into the dimly lit Piano Room, where a small chandelier with only two of the three bulbs working illuminates the old-fashioned piano in the alcove. A hastily handwritten sign in red felt-tip asks customers not play after 7pm, as it wakes the cat. As I go to make my way back down the stairs, I catch sight of a mirror adorned with notes. People from all around the world have left message written on scraps of paper, ticket stubs and postcards. I read one that says: 'Icarus didn't think things through, maybe you shouldn't either.'