London book shops

Quinto of Charing Cross (photo by Pfig in Flickr)

Once Mario Vargas Llosa wrote that he loved to walk around the area of the British Library because there were the most amazing little book shops there. It is true: small spaces full of books, perfectly ordered and classified and there is always a book lover sitting in his/her desk working and delighted to talk about books.

It is true too that Charing Cross Road is as well a book's paradise. Shipley, Henry Pordes Books (ask for Gino), Any Amount of Books (they have a good blog) and, very specially, Quinto (in the picture).

Downstairs Quinto it is extraordinary, of course if you do not suffer claustrophobia. There I discovered a book written by the person with whom I was going to dinner that very night: that was one of the biggest surprises ever, because the book was 20 years old and the author a bit more than 80. Please, do not miss the pleasure of diving in the most amazing ocean of old books when you are in London. By the way, down Charing Cross is Cecil Court where there are even more old book shops specialized in any subject: music, oriental religion...

Londres fresco

Se está preparando el Festival de Arquitectura de Londres. Se trata de una auténtica fiesta urbana con exposiciones, paseos (a pie, en bicicleta, en barco), conferencias, visitas guiadas, instalaciones urbanas, debates, fiestas...en fin, cuando en Inglaterra le ponen la etiqueta de Festival a algo hay que tomárselo en serio. Los organizadores siguieren que "fresco" es el tema del evento: piden que se vea Londres con ojos frescos para redescubir el talento fresco y que se respire el aire fresco de la ciudad (han logrado descontaminar su aire de una manera notable). Pues eso, a refrescarse.