Hometown glory.

Retrospectively i would say it was a good decision to come back to my hometown for a couple of days before i start my big trip. I mean there was light and shadow, but overall it were golden days, and this not only regarded to the weather. It is always good to know that there is this safe harbour in this world, where you can come and go to, no matter what happens (a place where you can go, when it all falls down …a hidden reference to “Ghosttown” from Madonna 🙂 But on the other side you also remember and become aware of what you escaped from once. But that is another story…

I try to describe it in a metaphorical way how my life changed in the past 2,5 weeks: It is like you’ve been driving on a highway, left lane, full speed. And then you suddenly have to take the next exit and you end up on a narrow country road and there is this tractor in front of you and you have to slow down, cause there is no possibility to pass by. All you can do is to be patient and to enjoy your time. And this is what i actually did.

I went for walks in the beautiful autumnal forests, i went for picking mushrooms and chestnuts, i visited my grandma’s and listened to stories from the past, i even took part in a photo-tour with a local photographer, and i did some final paperworks for my trip and the time after. All in all: it was perfect! And it was something i really needed: to calm down, to rest and to regain strength after some turbulent and stressful months in my life. But now is the time to go on, to be more active again and to explore new things, both geographically and personally.

It happened to be that during my stay the 600-year-anniversary of Jocketa (…the name of my hometown, by the way) took place. And this was really a big thing for the small village that it represents. Everything culminated in a festival weekend with different events and a “big” parade. The residents were also called to decorate their properties, and so many pennants waved along the streets and figures made of straw were crafted and placed in front of the houses. Not only was it interesting to read the explanations regarding the properties that some people posted on sheets along their garden fences, the figures also put a smile on my face whenever i walked by… I have been really impressed how many people settled down to work and to create this straw dolls and how much creativity and humor they put in. But convince yourself: