Sweet Serenity.

The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I found my favourite streets in Norwich. Possibly my favourite streets in the country. Maybe even of all time! It feels unusually calm and happy after walking down them, with sights of quaint and quirky shops selling quaint and quirky items. Beautiful is the word.

Elm Hill

Elm Hill is Norwich's most medieval street, preserved from medieval times. So close it is to the past that some scenes in the movie 'Stardust' had been filmed here. Beneath my feet is nothing but pure cobblestone, uneven but authentic. The buildings, as you can see, are all of the middle ages. Along the road there are shops selling local crafts, teddy bears, adorable trinkets, games, second hand books and so on.

Elm Hill

There is a tea house and restaurant at the edge of Elm Hill, which offers traditional English dishes with a menu that changes its chalky inscriptions every day. The food there is delicious and, at the risk of sounding bold, you can ask anyone who has eaten there and they'd say the same thing.

Britons Arms

Then on the other end of the road is Tombland, another wonderful part of the city centre that houses another beautiful bookshop, only here it not only sells second hand books but also antique books. Think first editions or special editions. Basically anyone who enjoys books, especially the classics, will find themselves fully immersed in the moment. You'd oo and aaa at the collections and you'd just want to lie there and take in the aroma.

Tombland Bookstore

I imagine having them in my personal library at home someday, catching the sunlight with their golden engravings, glistening in pride. Someday, with all those lovely editions. Someday.

The joy of it all

On a rather random note, I believe books enjoy whispering to one another and they entice us to whisper back. As I said, very random unless you get the idea.



What I'd really want to see on my bookshelves in the future one day

A blessed companion is a book - a book that, fitly chosen, is a lifelong friend ... a book that, at a touch, pours its heart into our own. 

~Douglas Jerrold