| It was a rough trip getting back to Broumov, and really
foreshadowed some of the issues that I would have to deal with while I was
working there through, most, of the end of the year. Using 20/20 hind
site, I should have stayed in Ticino. At least there I was working with
people that wanted my help, saw progress on a regular basis and felt like I was
making an impact in the daily lives, attitudes and general well-being of the
refugees and prisoners. In Broumov, the sidewalk moved faster than
anything down at the Centrum Broumov. Really unfortunate, but this is how
it goes sometimes. Since I did not have a visa to say longer than 30 days,
I had to leave the Czech Republic periodically for a weekend, this turned out to be a
blessing in disguise.
Some of the things I really enjoyed while being back in Broumov was the Fall. Here in California, quite arguably, we have two seasons. The sunny season, and then a period when it's not so sunny. But in middle Europe, they definitely have four seasons. I had never really experienced Fall until this past year in Broumov. What a wonderful season. So during this time I did a lot of walking and some traveling. Winter was not so enjoyable for this native Californian, and I soon discovered what a wimp I was when the temperature approached 0 degrees Celsius. The middle Europeans can have this cold weather. I also spent a lot of time reading and a little bit of time writing. I was very fortunate to meet three other volunteers, working on a completely different project, there in Broumov. I was simply amazed for a week after meeting Anka, Ursula and Irouchka. Feel free to check back often to this particular page, especially if you are first discovering it here on my website in the middle of August since I will be adding the newsletter I produced for my friends and family while I was in Broumov. Also on the list are some, or all, of my creative writing, anything available will be assessable from the top menu bar. I just need a bit of time to sift through the small stack of papers, e-mails and other notes to get them organized. In any event, these first few shots are of the lovely Broumovsko Fall.
A few times I would ride a bike into Poland. We were a train stop away from the frontier, so it wasn't too difficult to make my way by bike into Poland. During this day I made my way through the small Polish border towns of Golinsk, Mieroszow, Kowalowa, Unislaw Sl., Walbrzych and Rybnica Lesna. On my way back to the Czech Republic I stopped by this monument in between Golinsk and Mieroszow and snapped these photo's.
The volunteers that were working on the Centrum Broumov project stayed in a small apartment a short 5 minute walk from the center of town. Access to all facilities was really simple. There was some days that were exceptionally bright, weather-wise. Here is a really good example of the surrounding area from our apartment and the room I was in for about half of the time I was there.
People often advised me, "you need to get out of Broumov sometimes." Well, I can't speak for some of these advisors, but I left Broumov nearly every day, if only for a few hours to enjoy the local countryside by foot. These next shots I took along one of my favorite walking routes.
This guy rode past me while I was making a hike in a new area of Broumovsko.
After leaving my volunteer project during the month of December, Ursula made me promise that I would return to Broumov, before I left Europe all together. Here we are at the now world famous Corner Bar in Broumov the evening before I make my way back to Praha to catch my flight back to California.
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