I didn’t really need more books, but how could I not visit the English bookstore, Shakespeare Books, in Avignon. I was staying in this great medieval town on the RhÔne, on the south side just inside the wall near the train station, and the bookshop was in the far northeast. In other words, quite a hike, but I’m not complaining.
I walked across town and arrived at Shakespeare just as it was closing for lunch. The proprietor was turning the sign and locking the door as I approached on the other side of Rue Carreterie and off he went. But I was on vacation, I didn’t need a book that day and I’d seen parts of the city on my walk that I would not otherwise have seen. I crossed and peeked in the window and decided I’d just have to come back another day, which I did.
You can read the story of Shakespeare Books here. I see now, on the current website, the shop has been sold and the name changed to Camili Books. It doesn’t have quite the same ring, does it.
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