Wednesday Wanderings: Bouquinistes, Notre Dame, and the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore

If you were to stroll around Paris in the late evening or on an overcast day, you'd probably spot these strange boxes along the banks of the river Seine.

Wikimedia commons

However, on sunny days, they are transformed into bustling bouquinistes - outdoor stations selling art prints, souvenirs, and used/antiquarian books.  The tradition of outdoor peddling began as early as the 16th century, but it took a couple hundred more years for Paris to officially implement these concession stands.  They were finally "established" by the city in 1859.  

From the Louvre to Notre Dame, the bouquinistes line along the left bank of the river.  These iconic green boxes (~900 of them) span more than 3km of the river Seine and have been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.  

It is amazing how much fits in each box, as shown in my photo above. According to the Parisian regulations,  these are the dimensions for the box:

Length: 2 metres

Width: 0.75 metres

Height: Seine side: 0.6 metres, Shore side: 0.35 metres

(These dimensions are for closed boxes, lids included).

During use, the upper edge of the opened box should not reach over 2.1 metres above the ground.

(Source: Article 9 of the by-law of October 1993)

After shopping my way down the Seine (bargaining with the peddlers is a must!), I approached the Notre Dame from the side and took in the picturesque view.  If you wait until you are right in front of the church, it's too late - be prepared to deal with photobombers, chaotic lines of tourists, and aggressive hordes of pigeons.  You have been warned!

Shhh... Just admire from afar ~

Now turn right!!  It's okay, turn around and admire all sides of the Notre Dame.  I'll cover the gargoyles and stained glass windows in another post.

After admiring the Notre Dame, I headed over to the ultimate book lover's destination: Shakespeare and Company!  If drooling over the tomes during your 3km walk through the bouquinistes wasn't enough for you and your jaw is pliable enough to drop some more, you need to head over to Shakespeare and Company.  This was the "mecca" for the expatriate writers and artists of the "Lost Generation"; Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein fed off the fantastic literary vibes of the place.

When I finally got there, I nearly wept - I was unbelievably excited about finally stepping foot into the bookshop.  Full-on-book-nerd-fangirling-mode engaged in a nanosecond. 

There were signs around the bookstore urging patrons to put away cellphones and cameras and honor the sanctity and privacy of fellow readers and working authors(!).  Sadly, I did not recognize any incognito authors. The shop was filled with floor to ceiling shelves and books crammed underneath stair steps, with more books lining the walls of each stairwell.  There were first editions behind glass cases and reading rooms with the window open so all I could hear are the birds twittering nearby.  In the snug corners of the second floor, there were alcoves with couches and shelves full of free books to read.  As I wandered even deeper into the book haven, I spotted tiny nooks with typewriters, an upright piano with sheet music for anyone to play, rolling ladders circuiting the store, original manuscripts on writing desks, and authors' notes pinned on the wall.  Since I did want to respect the privacy of others, I did not take any photos, so you'll have to take my word for it - it really was a magical place.  However, a quick google-search will still show you some great photos of the place ;)

The worst part about being in such a magical bookshop is the dread of leaving it.  On the positive side, the best part is when you find out that they stamp each book you buy with the store emblem so you have a very tangible reminder of the almost intangible wealth one feels from just being there.

-NK-

Check out my other travel posts by clicking the Travel link on the bar at the top of my blog.

Pssst... the one that looks like this!

Thanks for stopping by, and Bon Voyage!