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.
Plans coalesced on the beach in Lagos. Ready for a larger leap between cultures, I intended to cross the Strait of Gibraltar to spend about one week in Morocco. My guidebook had a seven day itinerary that sounded, like most other week-long guidebook itineraries of places I’ve never visited, to be a reasonable balance of perspective and breadth.