Book Shopping in Paris

Happy Sunday guys & dolls.
so.
Yesterday, I went with Lauren to meet Cecilia in Paris and we spent the day. I was on a hunt for books. Books, books, books. In English that is. Because, quite frankly- I can read in French if I wish (and sometimes I do wish) but it just is not as relaxing. Well. Did we have the most magical day.

First, we went to starbucks because I can't find a normal cup of coffee in Beauvais. Je prends un café de la semaine s'il vous plait, merci. We were in the 6th arrondisement. We ducked into this awesome Indian jewelry store where Cecilia bought a beautiful pendant made from a rupee. Then we went into this bookstore that this French guy named Olivier showed Cecilia. It is called The San Francisco Book Company- 17, rue Monsieur le Prince. It was reasonably priced and pretty packed. Since I am working on reading (rereading if I don't remember all that well) the "classics"- I bought Of Mice and Men and Lord of the Flies. Then, I also got Kite Runner and Middlesex. Yes!!

Then we mosied around more and the whole time we were going into shoe stores because Cecilia needed new sneakers. Once we were in the right neck of the woods, we started to look for this other English bookshop that looked intriguing online, called The Abbey Bookshop- 29, rue de la parcheminerie. It took a little while but when we found it we were so impressed. The owner, Brian, is from Canada and welcomes you with a cup of Canadian coffee. The way I would describe him is like this- if we were Native Americans- he would have been the chief. He talked very deeply and clearly and you could just tell that he was extremely legitimate. (This was confirmed when he filled us in that he was teaching French at Columbia until he realized that instead of always just being a tourist in Paris, that he wanted to live there. He then found a way to do that...voilà bookshop.)
The place was just cool. Literally packed to the brim, with little trinkets/cubbies/posters/etc. that said that it had been there a long time and that it is frequented by all kinds of interesting folks. Here I found an Istanbul guide and Cecilia bought some Hemingway.
We chatted with Brian for a while and it was great.

I think I love this place.

After I had 5 books in my bag and 2 cups of coffee in my system- we got some lunch at one of my favorite boulangeries. Ate in a pretty park. Shopped some more. Walked a ton. Then came home.

Oh! and I love this song right now...
Sympathique by Pink Martini, a 12 member jazzy orchestra from Portland, Oregon.
check it out if you'd like.

bye bye!