Saturday, February 23, 2013

Theatrical Bookshop

Bookstores are always a favourite place for me to visit. Shelves filled with books and small couches for you to sit down and peruse the books you wanna buy, kiosks where you try and find titles that interest you - all of it holds a charm for me.

Just imagine how happy I was to hear that one of world's most beautiful bookstores in the world was just a few blocks away from where I was staying in Recoleta, Buenos Aires. I couldn't resist a visit to El Ateneo Grand Splendid Bookstore.It was once a theatre which staged tango performances by some famous artists.This book lover’s palace located in the old Grand Splendid Theater retains all the decadence of an Italian opera house.

The theater boxes are intact and are fitted with comfy chairs that invite visitors to lounge perusing book selections on a rainy afternoon.The Splendid’s stage remains encased by thick burgundy curtains, and now serves as the bookstore’s pleasant cafe. A live pianist performs on stage in the afternoons and, thanks to the great acoustics, can be heard throughout the store.





 Balconies where one can sit and read



This building is over a 100 years old and look how grand it still is. I couldn't help but wish we had something like this in India and was wondering what would it take to build such a beautiful bookstore back home.

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