autumn, unplugged

when you’re so excited to spend many a morning in bed reading blogs, a three day internet outage really isn’t timed so perfectly over a leisurely five day weekend. times like that sometimes make you wonder what your other hobbies are. (i just know that they exist… i think) let’s just say my german got a decent amount of refreshing and i made loads of headway on a book i wasn’t so sure about but finally got into. although annoying, those periods of unplugging are good for the soul.

and yes. i said five day weekend. tuesday was czechoslovak statehood day: the day in 1918 when czechoslovakia because an independent country from the austrian empire. at first it seemed a little silly to me: czechoslovakia doesn’t exist anymore (much to some relatives at home’s surprise, i reckon) but it’s not just about czechoslovakia, i’ve learned. it’s about becoming an independent country after the dust from the great war had settled– independence at last. this extremely fortunate long weekend came about when one by one, all of my students cancelled on the first three workdays of the week. i couldn’t believe my luck! i hadn’t exactly planned for this to happen so i didn’t have any big trips on the docket, but it was a great time to unwind and enjoy local life.

on sunday, alex and i had a walk around the sleepy city streets (that make weekends so beloved here) and popped into an art gallery to catch a great art exhibition based on the literary works of franz kafka (above), which i certainly will be highlighting soon because this artist is worth knowing about. then a cafe stop at the friendly fér cafe on ceska street where they just so happened to have an actual italian chef in their kitchen cooking cuisine based on the seasons. i missed out on the pumpkin, ricotta, and mozzarella stuffed tortellini (since we were just there for coffee) but you can bet just the idea gave me plenty of inspiration in the kitchen!

on tuesday i accompanied alex to český krumlov, as he had a lesson there and i just wanted to wander. it was only as i wandered those mostly bare (so few tour groups on cold autumn mornings!) streets that i realized how important it was for me to spend some time by myself. i strolled up and down the cobbled streets and looked at the old painted buildings and historical frescoes that have changed nary a bit in hundreds of years! krumlov is so timeless like that.

it happened to be the last day of a much buzzed about exhibition at the egon schiele centrum, and was happy to be among the few to take it in that day. something about visiting an art gallery by yourself on a near-freezing sunny autumn day was just the thing. to actually have the time and space to think my own thoughts. to be surrounded by such great work and inspirational austrian and czech artists… it lifted my spirits and heart so much.

it’s hard to say: sometimes when you live together with your partner and you do everything together, it’s not easy to even recognize the need to be alone. alex and i have such similar weekly schedules that i honestly don’t spend more than a few hours a week by myself– a large stretch from living in seattle when i would happily while away some hours in my room or apartment alone with the record player spinning the latest from mount eerie or lykke li. but when you enjoy being with someone, you don’t exactly feel the need to leave the house just for the sake of being alone! we live in a large flat, but even spending time in separate rooms doesn’t give you the mental feeling of being on your own. 
but a walk around krumlov did just that. to actually feel on my own. a mental refresher. and after awhile of being surrounded with inspirational artists, i walked out of the centrum, happy to meet alex for lunch, followed by a fantastic autumn walk around the back-side of the castle.

a perfect reminder to make time for yourself this season and to surround yourself with people and things that inspire you. and don’t forget to unplug every once in awhile. happy halloween, my friends! i’ll be dressing up and headed out for the evening. i hope you have a very spooky one, however you choose to spend it. xo

linking up with kate for daily diaries.