A visit to Shakespeare and Company, the most iconic bookshop in Paris followed by dinner on the Left Bank

'Food for Thought' is now exactly one month and 12 posts old and to mark that I thought it was only fitting that I return to the place from where I began writing this blog - Paris. 

There are some evenings that are etched in  one's memory forever and this post is about is one such evening.It was almost ten pm and we had finished a tour of Notre Dame Cathedral where the atmosphere had been almost like a carnival. The sky was just beginning to be tinged with the darkening hues of pink turning to beautiful shades of purple when we started our walk towards the Left Bank. The idea was to have our dinner and head back home because the next day was going to be packed with a whole lot of action.

It was a lovely  evening as we started the walk from Notre Dame towards the Left Bank

About one km later, our daughter Neha pointed towards this quaint little bookstore and asked me, 'You remember those two lovely books I had told you about? This is the shop where I got those  books for free. I looked up at the sign and realized that we were standing right outside Shakespeare and Company, the most iconic bookstore in France, if not in all of Europe! To say that I was excited was probably an understatement and short of rushing into the store, I did just about everything else!

Shakespeare and Company in Paris is exactly what my dream bookstore has always been but this was the first time that the dream had turned into reality.The view from the front window of the ramshackle bookstore looks out past a few trees to the river Seine and beyond to Notre Dame, towering high on the Ile de la Cité. No. 37 rue de la Bûcherie is home to Shakespeare & Company, a Parisian writers’ and readers’ institution whose longtime owner, American-born George Whitman, lived in a third-floor apartment above the shop until his death last December. Before George, the neighborhood, one of the oldest in Paris, was occupied by a monastery.

Reaching the iconic book shop, Shakespeare and Company

The original shop, which doubled as a library, publisher and boarding house for aspiring writers, was opened by American Sylvia Beach and was featured in Ernest Hemingway's memoir, A Moveable Feast. The store closed during World War II, and was re-opened in its current incarnation in 1951 by George Whitman, whose daughter, Sylvia runs the store now. Out front, book stands surround an ornate drinking fountain.Inside, there's an extensive stock of new and second-hand books.There are books and then there are even more books, as far as the eye can see. The best part about the display are the charming nooks and corners which are beautifully lit up to showcase the best possible books from all over the world.You can settle down to read, you can touch, you can feel the books and no one will ask you why. And that's exactly what a real book store has always meant to me!

Once the haunt of famed French writers like Voltaire,Rousseau, Verlaine and Americans such as Ernest Hemingway,James Joyce, and Stein, its walls are adorned with author-signed title pages.There is a section upstairs with very old books as well. Seats are few and if you are walking through the shop, you will realize that its really quite narrow so prepare yourself to bend, twist and enjoy as you make your way through.The shop opens only at noon  and remains open till very late, almost right till midnight on many days.

Feel that buzz?

I love that sign!

The original reception desk, used even today

After some research, I learnt that people still live at the store today. Moments after closing time almost at 12 midnight, the residents move piles of books aside and sleep on makeshift beds that double as book display platforms during the day. Under Sylvia’s management, the tradition continues at the “Hotel Tumbleweed”, a nickname for the overnight operations.The general rule is that you are allowed to sleep in the store if you are a writer, musician, artist or a young woman.In the old days, the first step toward entry was to show George your manuscript, write a short autobiography and, if he approved, you were in rent-free, in exchange for working the check-out desk, re-shelving books, cleaning and errand-running. Under Sylvia, Shakespeare & Company’s renaissance is now in full swing.

The Old Smoky Reading Room

Shakespeare and Company, is the place to go to find the best selection of English books in Paris while also serving as a monument to the "lost generation."The best part is that rusty or sometimes, semi rusty typewriters and cushioned benches continue to be available to those artists and students in need.The English-language writing workshops are also immensely popular, and every two years a prominent literary festival called "Festival & Co" is organized by the bookshop.

The Blue Oyster Tearoom

Readings, workshops and music events are regularly scheduled. She’s launched Shakespeare  & Co’s Paris Literary Prize, a €10,000 award for a novella by an unpublished author. And since 2003, four glittering festivals have begun to attract galaxies of international literary stars back to Shakespeare’s little shop on the Seine.

LittleTequila the Pug, the star attraction  outside

Warm, welcoming and wonderful 

Almost an hour had gone by since I'd entered the shop and it was only the growling in my tummy that  reminded me of how hungry I was. And with that it was a reluctant goodbye to this lovely shop and joining the family all of whom had been waiting patiently for me to emerge.A short walk brought us  to this very warm and welcoming scene, a Cafe restaurant la bucherie,  where a friendly waitress took our orders , promising to be very quick to serve.  

I loved the Menu

This little cafe was also the place where I saw the largest cocktail  I'd ever seen in my life and was just beginning to wonder if anyone ever drank something like this, when the guests at two adjoining tables placed orders for one each.Needless to say, two people shared one, but I am still surprised!

The Giant cocktail, a specialty of the house

When the meal arrived, it took our breath away!

                 My dinner,  a Croque-monsieur

I'd placed an order for a 'Croque monsieur', and was delighted when it was served !( the name is based on the verb croquer and the word monsieur)

 a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. It originated in French cafés and bars as a quick snack. Typically, Emmental or Gruyère cheese is used. 

That was one of the best meals we'd ever eaten and coupled with the opportunity to see and experience Shakespeare and Company, makes it one of the most memorable evenings of my life...

Shakespeare and Company, more details-

Address-37 rue de la Bûcherie, 5th,  

Website-www.shakespeareandcompany.com