Once upon a time in PAUL

Going out from the apartment, I saw a tiny cafe with huge letters PAUL, a well-known sign for a French bakery. My nose caught the pleasant aroma of coffee, while my eyes took in the kaleidoscope of colors and shapes in the visitors' clothing.

I entered PAUL and ordered regular coffee with oat milk and a croissant, but I quickly forgot about my delicacies. I was stunned and positively speechless. I gazed at other people, more truly at their bright and sometimes extremely nonstandard appearances, despite age and gender. I realized I feel a thirst for beautiful, vivid clothing shining with different textures, forms, and tones. Eclectic blue, neon lime, fuchsia, magenta, indigo, tangerine, saffron, turquoise, hot pink, cobalt blue, opal.... Varied hairstyles with padded headbands, oversized bows, pearl hair pins, and wide-brim hats. Straw hats. Boater hats, summer fedora, turbans.... Endless game of fabrics and textures. Linen and batiste, silk and cotton, jersey and chiffon.... Different prints like a language in literature or paintings on canvas: nut tones, floral, watercolors, zebra lines, and leopard shadows....

Gazing at them, I remembered my youth: I was extremely bright and creative in my appearance, and because of that, I was even rejected from several good jobs. I dared sometimes to be a mixture of Vivienne Westwood, Carry Bredshow, and Helena Bonham Carter. Sometimes I missed that Yuliia, that rebel and charismatic, unbelievably authentic, fearless, and bold personality. 

In PAUL, I lost myself in the wildness of abundance and beauty. I forgot where I was sitting and what I was doing there; the only thing I wanted to continue was to contemplate this mesmerising scenery. I wanted to saturate each cell of my body with this energy and this vibe, so that I would feel it as long as possible.

People at the tables were changing occasionally from time to time; that's not a fast food eatery, that's a place for contemplation and savoring life, so they were not in a hurry; they appreciated calmness and quality of life over quantity. I sat there for a couple of hours, feeling after years this energy of life in my blood, experiencing the desire again to be bright and authentic. 

One old man in his age of about 80-90 was sitting nearby me, drinking coffee and smiling, smiling and drinking coffee, in between he was speaking with other dwellers, children, and dogs.... He was enjoying his life as it was without any expectations or condemnations. 

Memories from my trip to Belgium, May 2025.