This article is part of a series that tells a true story located in Edinburgh, Scotland, and in Çesky Krumlov, Czech Republic. This is the third and last part, you can find the first one here and the second one here. This article is about me feeling alone and cold, about a mother and a daughter sharing a dinner with me, and maybe about karma.
Feeling Alone, Being Cold And Emotional
I had slept poorly because it snowed during the night and the heating wasn’t working in my private room. The hostel was magnificent, well located and, for once, I had my own room. Everything should have been perfect. Except sleep didn’t go well with cold, and it had deserted my bed that night.
I was a little bit lost in my professional and personal life and, on that day, all these strong emotions had emerged. But now was not the time, no way I would miss one moment of this fairy tale city. This was my only full day dedicated to Çesky Krumlov and I was determined to enjoy every minute of it. A lunch in a medieval restaurant, next to the chimney, helped. A walk on the heights of the castle, in its still asleep gardens, and then next to the river and in the more modern streets located lower in the city. It was very peaceful.
Being Invited To The Table
But the exhaustion and depression caught up with me in the evening, when night started falling down. I barely had the courage to stop somewhere to eat. Still, since a tour guide recommended a restaurant and it was my last night in the city, I used what energy I had left to go there.
In the restaurant, there were nearly only locals and I suddenly felt very alone. I decided to eat my dinner quickly and to go back to my freezing bed. The meal was not very appetizing and the atmosphere a bit heavy, I wondered why the guide had recommended this place.
A mother and her daughter were eating at a table located diagonally across the room from mine. At some point, the daughter stood up and came to me. In English, she asked if I wanted to join them. A little surprised, I accepted. I moved and we continued eating our dinner all together at the same table. Soon, a conversation started.
Two Israeli Women And Something That Felt Like Karma
The two women were Israeli and had chosen to travel together in the Czech Republic. The mother worked sometimes in the translation field, and the daughter (20 years old) traveled a lot. For instance, she had spent several months in China. We spoke about trips and food, the descriptions they made of Israeli food was very convincing and tempting, especially since the Czech meal was really not that great. And we laughed a lot.
At the end of the meal, the mother said “We want to offer you the dinner”. I tried refusing, feeling embarrassed. They had already given me a wonderful evening, I thought that it was too much. But it quickly appeared that they wouldn’t take no for an answer. So, I accepted and thanked them with all my heart.
Maybe it was the wine and the tiredness, but when I said goodbye, I felt so very grateful and I nearly wanted to cry. I had felt so alone, and a simple gesture from strangers had completely transformed my emotions and my evening. I had some idea of how Nina might have felt in Edinburgh. The fact that those women were also Israeli and the strong emotions I felt made me wonder if that was karma.
I have some doubts about the category of this series of articles. It could be thoughts, it could simply be travel tips.
To see more photos of the Czech Republic, you can visit the gallery Czech Republic. And to read more thoughts, you can access the page Thoughts.
