Valentine Gigaudaut is the director of the only French language bookshop in Romania – Kyralina Librairie. She came to Bucharest in 2014, after working in Asia a few years for Alliance françaises and Minister of Foreign Affairs in Taipei.
How do you like your coffee?
My favourite coffee is made by Sabina Suru, one of my wonderful librarians. She used to work as a barrister at Pinion, on Boulevard Dacia, and she makes the best
coffee ever.
What’s your favourite app ?
I could say Google map, because I always get lost and I am often at my wits end due to the traffic jams in Bucharest. But I often used Facebook, because it is a great instrument to connect with our costumers.
Name 3 things you always carry with you.
My bag, my book, my mobile.
What’s your favorite place in Bucharest?
To be really honest, it is our Bookshop Kyralina! But it is also were I spend most of my time… I really love the main concert hall of Athénée : the atmosphere, the paintings and the programmes.
How did you spend your last holiday?
I went to France, in Burgundy, to my village Noyers-sur-Serein.
What newspapers/magazines do you read?
Le Monde and le magazine Sciences humaines.
What colour is your kitchen ?
Black and white.
Name 3 favorite hobbies.
I don’t have many hobbies, but I love reading, walking in the forest and swimming.
The most important person in your life is…?
My husband! He is the only person in my family that I have really chosen 🙂
What is your favourite car ?
My car, Duster Dacia, symbol of the very active business between Romania and France.
If you wouldn’t have your actual career job, what would you like to do (as a career job) ?
I don’t really have a career, because I move every 4 years. Each time, I find a new job, and luckily, I have found a coherence in those different parts of my working life. But I would like to open a bookshop in my village in France, in Noyers-sur-Serein. But I need to live in France to do so!
What do you like best about Romania ?
The people, the food, the wine. French and Romanian always had a intimate relation. We love alike!
