Why I love sitting and reading in a cafe?

That might be a totally french thing but one of my favorite hobbies, passion, things I love to do is to sit in a cafe, grab a book and read.

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Anywhere I've been so far I always find a place I like to go for coffee and book reading.  I like to feel life around me, to look at people around, to smell tea, coffee. This is very relaxing, almost like you are becoming the only spectator of life and time moving around you while you stay still.

I'm usually staying an hour or so and often realize that I didn't read as much as I expected but watched life around ! 

There is always a lot of going on. That's remind me this poem from Charles Beaudelaire : 'La passante' describing a stranger he's watching passing by, I always been intrigues by the intimate connection he had with the woman he's describing, like he knew her since 20 years.

I find people fascinating when you watch closely, that's why I like to do photography, if you're lucky, the magics happen, the perfect timing, funny or intimate moments, "un regard", a look, a smile.

It's been a year now that I'm coming almost every weekend to the Hampstead Waterstone upstair cafe.  That's where I'm writing this at the moment. Being surrounded by books  and readers is very pleasant! I love the smell of the books stack up on there shelves waiting for someone to read them, annoted them, walk away with them. The mix color is a beautiful patchwork for the eyes!

Suddenly two kids are running around the tables laughing making this place their new Castle maybe.

I like to fold cranes when I'm here, it became a habit which was noticed by the waitress as I always leave the cranes where I'm folding it and often taking a pictures of it as a memory.​

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And you what's your favorite place ?​