Marina

Although I’m a huge fan of autumn, with its crunchy leaves, comfy sweaters, and comfort food, I’m used to easily getting affected by weather changes. With the coming of the colder season, I turn into more of a homebody – yet with an inspiring action-packed to-do list (prepared beforehand). It’s full of fun fall activities like treating myself to an unearthing soul-warming apple pie, throwing a Tim Burton spooky movie marathon, or curling up with a good page-turner. Fall is the best time for learning something new, too. Though chilly days are made for staying in, there’s nothing better than heading to parks and gardens on crispy days! To fully experience the change in the air – as the bare minimum. But what's beyond important is to share these memorable moments with people you love.

Maryam

One of the fascinating aspects of St. Petersburg is that the transition from summer to autumn is swift. Leaves are yellowing in mid-September and in your mind you’re wondering, how did we go from sunglasses and outdoor seating two weeks ago to falling leaves and wearing a scarf? In Russia, heating is centralized so basically as the weather gets colder you ask yourself, is today going to be the day my heating gets switched on? You don’t want it to come on too early because it’ll get too stuffy, but you don’t want to wait too long because it can get pretty cold at night. In the back of my mind I know that for the next eight months I will be perpetually cold. So I grab a nice hot tea, add some jam to sweeten the taste, put on a warm hoodie and relax on the couch with a movie, doing my best not to forget to take regular vitamin D tablets. 

Anna

One might argue that I have a foot fetish but the truth is that I just want my feet to be cozy all the time. It’s the easiest way for me to feel relaxed, not a small feat when the weather is turning gloomy and my shoes get wet from the puddles and endless drizzle. So almost every fall, I buy a pair of new home slippers: sometimes they’re knitted, sometimes fleece, sometimes lined with shearling. The point is that when I put my feet in them, it’s instant warmth, care, and love. Everything you could wish for, bundled around your toes. I even have a pair of fluffy Birkenstock sandals, but that’s a different story. 

Catherine 

I don’t know if this has to do with me being born in early September or with some other miraculous reason, but somehow there is not much gloom I have to combat this time of the year. It’s impossible not to smile at every colorful tree that I put my eyes on, so I immediately capture those with my phone’s camera. And simply the smell of autumn that surrounds me every time I step outside is enough of a pleasure. More feasibly and quite unexpectedly, I’ve found that cooking is what brings me joy these cold September days. It’s finally pumpkin season – and baked pumpkin and beetroot turned out to be the one combo to rule them all. And then there are always the cinnamon-y and nutmeg-y fruit pies that are simple to bake and autumnally delicious when they come out of the oven. I never thought I’d say it, but I can really relate to Julie from Julie & Julia – it’s a great comfort to know that putting together flour, non-dairy milk, and sugar will yield fluffy pancakes, even if everything else seems to be far from certain. 

Kseniia

For me, fall isn’t a depressive season either. It’s actually quite enjoyable, especially when compared with February or March, when your body starts to crave at least some sun and warmth after months of winter. Early fall is always about studying, even though school days are long gone and university degrees are all acquired. I always feel inspired to learn something new and be on the move. Lazy summer days definitely aren’t for concentration. So yes, there are more sides to fall than just grayness and the lack of sun, if you try to focus on new activities and knowledge.