Paris en Coup de Vent

So here I am in the city of lights, where I’ve been buying even more books, which means I’ll probably have to purchase another suitcase and pay extra on the flight home. The second-hand book dealers along the Seine carry a lot more trinkets these days, but there were still a few things that made the walk absolutely worth it–a few additions to my Tintin collection, and an old Boule et Bill that brought back wonderful childhood memories. People take their comics very seriously here: they come in hardcover, in a variety of genres including mystery, literary, and erotica, and you can find them in a special section at every bookstore. There’s a literary scent to things everywhere here: madeleines at breakfast, the cafes where American expats hung out, the Notre Dame cathedral, where special banners boast about the relationship between the monument and Victor Hugo’s novel.