When Jeff told me we are going to Paris for our honeymoon, I thought about an article I read online saying that the city has 74 public libraries and the oldest of which is Bibliothèque Mazarine.
(Language point: bibliotheque is the French word for library. Fiona, my French teacher at Alliance Française de Cebu, said librairie is a French word but it doesn’t mean library, as in the English translation. Librairie means bookshop.)
I did think about the Louvre then I thought about Hemingway and how Paris shaped him as a writer in the 1920s. I yet have to read “A Moveable Feast,” his memoir of his years living in Paris. Also in the list of desired readings is “The Sun Also Rises.” I am curious to know how it was to be living in post World War 1 Paris with fellow writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Henry Miller.
I thought about the bookshop Shakespeare and Company, which was first opened by Sylvia Beach in 1919 and closed down in the 1940s when the Germans occupied Paris. The present day Shakespeare and Company, which I will also visit, was originally named “Le Mistral” by George Whitman in 1951, but the bookshop later changed its name to Shakespeare and Company in 1964 to honor Beach’s bookshop. I will stop right there because I want to write about Shakespeare and Company in a separate entry.
Because I was so inlove with the idea of going to Paris, I decided to enroll in a two-month French language class so I can at least have basic conversations with some people in the shop or the market or the cafés. I had so much fun in my class thanks to my teacher, Fiona. French has similarities with Spanish. So many conjugations and gender words. It was crazy but I totally enjoyed it!
Jeff was the one who was so busy arranging this trip. He was the hands-on travel organizer, who did not miss a chance to update me on a daily basis on the progress of the trip.
“Yes, Cris. Moulin Rouge is confirmed. We can interview the dancers and we can have dinner there.”
“Hey Lover! Our tickets Guangzhou – Paris – Guangzhou are ready. Please find your copy in your email. Your Manila – Guangzhou – Manila is arranged as well.”
“Do you want to see Sleeping Beauty’s castle? We are going!”
I just said yes to everything Jeff said but as 2014 entered, I started to seriously think about what I am going to do in Paris as we are staying there for 10-11 days.
I started my online search for Bibliothèque Mazarine and my conquest was rewarded with a new website that invited its visitors to pre-register. I registered. But five times, the website said my email is rejected. So I decided to just send an inquiry to the general address of the library.
I was not really expecting for a reply but on January 4, I wrote the following anyway.
“Madame, Monsieur,
Bonjour!
I am Cris Evert Lato. I am a journalist and a social development worker from the Philippines. I also maintain a blog (www.readingruffolos.com) to share my advocacy in reading.
I will be in Paris, France with my husband on January 25 – 31 and February 5 -8. I love libraries and grows a petit bibliothèque in my home. It is in my itinerary to visit libraries in Paris when I am there a few weeks from now.
I would like to ask if Bibliothèque Mazarine is open for non-French/European nationals and if I can get a temporary library card? Also, would there be a librarian available whom I can interview for an article for my blog? I really would like to share the love for reading and libraries in as many people I can reach.
Thank you very much and I hope to hear from you.
Merci beaucoup!”
Cris Evert Lato-Ruffolo
Then came the unexpected response on January 8.
In gist, Madame Lévecque said:
“I would be glad to meet you and to talk with you about the Library, the readers, the kind of books we have. It is a very special library, open to everybody (the 1st one in France, since 1643!), where teachers and researchers can meet tourist or scholars. The collections are really specific (French History), with many rare books and manuscripts. I hope you will enjoy it!”
She said there are two options for me if I want to stay longer inside the library: (1) a free five-day pass; and (2) reader card (worth 15 € + two photographs). She said the library is open on weekdays (Monday to Friday) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
I almost sent “Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” as a reply. I was just so happy! Books, books, books and more books in a historic edifice!
I counted one to ten (really!) before I typed my answer that was full of thank yous and excitement. Madame Lévecque was amused and said she would have someone assist me when I arrive.
Who said French people are snobbish?
I arranged the visit and interview on February 7 (at the back end of our trip) but I will most likely drop by before that when Jeff is not looking. Hehehe.
See you Bibliothèque Mazarine!
- Screen capture from http://www.bibliotheque-mazarine.fr/
