It was a warm winter afternoon in Paris with the Sun high up on the sky. The weather was pleasant and way less cold (thankfully) than I had anticipated. By the time we completed the Walking Tour till Louvre, I was already quite tired but my enthusiasm was high. Probably as there was no sweat it was making me less lethargic.
We crossed the road in front of Louvre and went down the slope and started walking on the banks of River Sienne. Autumn leaves were scattered everywhere and it was a childish fun feeling to kick them while walking.
The Sienne river was full of small Batobuses that takes the tourist to various tourist destination using the water route. We had also thought of taking it but lack of time made it difficult. There are various cruises available on the Seine. They take the tourists from one end to the other while the tourists can enjoy food and drinks.
Our next destination was Pont De Artes, the famous 'Bridge of LoveLocks '. These days the locks have been removed due to the heavyweights yet some people still secretly put them on the bridge. This was considered as one the most romantic bridges in the world but after the locks were removed it has lost its glory.
The next destination was Pont Neuf. The Pont de Arts and Pont Neuf are parallel to each other. Pont de arts is more romantic while Pont Neuf is grander in terms of architecture and built. There is a huge statue equestrian bronze statue of Henry IV.
After crossing the Pont Neuf we walked for about 500 meters and reached the Cathedral de Notre Dame. This is undoubtedly one of the iconic structures of Paris. I was told that the aerial view of Notre Dame shows it in the shape of a cross. The place was extremely crowded when we reached yet we managed to enter inside.
By the time we completed our tour of Notre Dame, Paris was covered in a thick black cloud. I am sure you can figure out from the above images. It was afternoon but looked like evening. Our last destination was Shakespeare and Company.
Shakespeare and Company is an institution in itself. This place is a Mecca for any book lover. This is the place where writers like Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, F.Scott. Fitzgerald and James Joyce used to hang around. The book is mentioned in Hemingway's A Moveable Feast. This store was the focal point of literary culture in bohemian Paris. Even in many movies, this store was shown like Julia and Julia, Before Sunset and Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. If I start writing the history of this bookstore it will never end. Therefore let me just describe my feelings. This is a quaint little shop with an adjoining cafeteria. The store sells both new and old used books. Outside the store, I could find some rare old used books. The store has retained its old world charm till date. Even today numerous aspiring writers take refuge in this store. An afternoon is not enough to explore this shop. A book lover can keep exploring this place through an entire lifetime. Every nook and corner has a story to tell. The store is not huge but the collection is undoubtedly the best in the world.
We had our lunch at Shakespeare and Company. With this, we came to an end to our walking tour of Paris.