Thalia effect....

Every Saturday the magical huge glass doors are opened at 09:30am and people are queuing already at 09:15 to be the first ones to enter the other realms, the eternity of books: to listen to their stories, to breathe in their old and newly printed scent, to touch thousands of covers, and of course to be the first ones to sit at the table near the the panoramic windows on the first floor at a bookish cafe....

As only I came to Karlsruhe and lived in the city center at Airbnb apartment, I saw Thalia, a famous German bookstore, which was situated a minute walk from my apartment; at that moment, I thought: “I would definitely go there one day and will be immersed in the magical atmosphere of the books.” The same evening, I went to DM to buy daily necessities, and when I went out, I was stunned. On the opposite side was Thalia with 4 or 5 floors, huge panoramic windows, full of people and books, and an eye-catching cafe.

I quickly crossed the street and entered the shop. That was true, people were everywhere staring and looking at books, reading, and buying them. All ages and nationalities seemed to explode there at the same time with their own calm, romantic, art and cultural rhythm. I was impressed: people really were reading there in every corner of the shop. I found the English section, I melted into the atmosphere of books, and I decided to buy a new one written by Elizabeth Gilbert. Gazing at people and books, I went up to the first floor and opened my eyes and mouth wider.... There was a huge cafe with a lot of tables and with crowds of people like a swarm of bees around a hive. I dived deep as if I was saturating myself with this fantastic and fascinating atmosphere. They were reading newspapers and books, writing by hand, writing in notebooks, chatting with friends and relatives, and of course drinking coffee or matcha and eating desserts....

There was no free place at all.... I just contemplated.... I stayed there for about 20 minutes and contemplated.... Then I went to the second floor and found a big reading table like in a library, a traditional library, all places were occupied - people were reading books or writing something on their tablets and on their MacBooks. I went to the next floor.... and then I went down floor by floor till the minus first.... I was enchanted by this magical atmosphere. When I came back to the ground floor and went outside, I knew I would return there and would read.

One day, my sister came to me, and I wanted to show her my magical Thalia. “Yuliia, that’s amazing! You know what!?!?! You need to come here and write! You need to finish your book.”

Since that very moment, every day after my work, I went to Thalia and wrote for 1-2 hours. When I relocated to my permanent apartment, I missed Thalia very much, but I found a new solution. Now I go there on Saturdays. I come 15 minutes before opening, stand in front of the door, and wait when the magical doors will be opened, and go to the first floor to be one of the first ones to sit near the panoramic windows and write in a very symbolic and artistic atmosphere....

#reading #writing #storytelling #thalia #creativity