From the Pont des Arts, looking south, the Bibliothèque Mazarine. Established in 1643 by the physician Naudé and named for the Cardinal, France’s first public library contained nearly 40,000 items by 1652.
With apologies to They Might Be Giants, I’ve been spoiled by Morocco. Again. In Istanbul, I was hoping for, and indeed expecting, a city teetering on the edge of two worlds. Straddling Europe and Asia, on the edge of the Middle East (Turkey’s neighbor to the east is Iraq), I expected crazy.