While Vickie and Lisa headed off on a tour of castles and wine country, Kaye and I did a more local tour of Paris, beginning with our neighborhood.
Here’s the true owner of the pet shop down the street. It sells only dogs, but you can tell which pet rules the roost.
We went off to find Shakespeare & Co., the legendary bookstore. It was on Kaye’s must-see list. The buildings around it were fascinating, as was the quiet, beautiful Square Rene-Viviani. Shakespeare & Co.? Not so much. I wouldn’t go back. It was so crowded you could barely move. And, this was one place in Paris where people were rude – English speakers, not the French who were so kind to us on this trip. The bookstore is overrated, and, frankly, not so pleasant. It’s living on its legacy.
But, here are photos of the neighborhood, and the bookstore.
However Square Rene-Viviani, which is right across the street from Shakespeare & Co., is a quiet, peaceful park. There’s a memorial to the babies who were taken and killed by the Nazis. It has tears running down it. The oldest tree in Paris is in this park, propped up to keep it from toppling. It’s a peaceful place to sit and watch people.
I’ll admit, we had dinner in a touristy place, La Fontaine Saint Michel, but the spaghetti Bolognese was wonderful. We were just in the mood for it.
After dinner, we wandered over to the Fontaine Saint-Michel, an enormous fountain in the 5th arrondissement. It seemed to be a gathering spot. Kaye and I both enjoyed listening to a musician playing a flute there.
We continued to flaneuse, ending up at the Quay of the Grands Augustins. We were just in in time to catch some of the bouqinistes before they closed up their book stalls. They’re booksellers of used and antiquarian books who have stalls along both sides of the Seine. Some of them have been there for years, and there is a waiting list to get a stall.
We wandered down the streets of the 6th arrondissement before catching an Uber back home.
It wasn’t long before Lisa and Vickie joined us to tell us about their day, sharing a five-euro bottle of wine from the trip, and telling us about castles. Books, wine, castles, and good friends. Paris. Perfect to dream on.
Wonderful piece, Lesa! You know, that spaghetti bolognese was pretty darn delish, wasn't it?! It was a fun day. I think you've described Shakespeare & Co. perfecting – "living on its legacy." Yes. Exactly.
Thank you, Kaye! Yes, the spaghetti Bolognese was good. Ate every bit of it. Thank you! I think that's right for Shakespeare & Co.
Another perfect day!!
It was, Victorine.
SleuthFest 2018
Dear Lesa Holstine,
Would you include information about SleuthFest for your readers on your blog?
SleuthFest is a writers’ conference sponsored annually by the Florida Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. 2018 will be its 24nd year.
2018’s Keynote is Andrew Gross, the Forensic Guest of Honor is Katherine Ramsland, Ph.D. The Guest Authors are James R. Benn, Hallie Ephron, Kristy Montee (PJ Parrish), and Hank Phillippi Ryan.
All the Guests of Honor will be giving intensive workshops and participating in panels and other sessions.
While SleuthFest’s emphasis is on writing mystery/thrillers/suspense, over the years, it has become one of the best conferences for writers of all genres. There are four tracks of workshops, presentations, and panels in writing craft, business & marketing, and forensics.
Other features are the annual Freddie Awards for Writing. There are cocktail parties, a raffle, informal mingling and pitch sessions with top agents and editors.
For many writers, SleuthFest is where they met their agent or editor. Unique to SleuthFest is the Strategy Sessions with professionals. Attendees can arrange for one-on-one time to ask about issues pertaining to their manuscript.
SleuthFest 2018 will take place March 1-4 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Boca Raton, Florida. More information can be found on the website at http://www.sleuthfest.com, or contact Victoria Landis & Michael Joy, our Co-Chairs, at Sleuthfestinfo@gmail.com.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Philip Butera
SleuthFest Publicity Co-Ordinator
561 445 7784
In this city there are still a very large number of places that I want to visit in my next visit to this city.