The City of Lights - Paris is for Strangers AND Angels

It was a very cold, lovely Sunday afternoon in Paris and we strolled up and down the quaint streets of the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank, stopping to stick our heads into interesting shops to pick up a few last minute Christmas gifts and popping into a cafe' to get warm. I'm glad we made time for some relaxation and a cruise down the River Seine while there for a quick business trip. The picture of the Eiffel Tower at night was one big benefit to freezing on the boat - along with circling our duplicate sister of the Statue of Liberty. Well worth the frozen noses we had when we got back to our hotel!

Our best find was the Shakespeare and Company Book Store, directly across the street from Notre Dame. This is a quaint, English language bookstore that has been frequented by those such as Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce and Sylvia Plath. The bookstore has been there since 1951 in a building that is centuries old. The owner, from time to time, has let writers live upstairs as they work on their to-be famous manuscripts. I could feel the energy of these masters as I stood by the desk where they once wrote. Rooms and rooms of books - stacked so high among the hand carved beams you could never even see them all. So much history there! A thought-provoking quote by Shakespeare hangs painted over an upstairs doorway, where many have stood.

"Be not inhospitable to strangers least they be angels in disguise."

- William Shakespeare

Rubbing elbows with the locals for the weekend was a delight. The zest with which the Parisians live their lives is something from which we Americans could benefit. Finding time to walk along the bank and gaze at the works of local artists, stopping to chat and sip a latte' and finding balance is a rewarding thing in an otherwise day of pressure, rushing and work. It was there we could take a breath, ignite our passion and get a recharge for the next week of work.

I have included a picture of the front of the quaint bookstore and a couple other ones- like the Eiffel Tower which was completely light up at night - and the red velvet palms which lined the street of a local night spot on the corner.

For more information on the quaint bookstore mentioned, go to:
www.shakespeareandcompany.com