Riyadh sand storm, pretty Odrowaz and sun in Kamienna

Somebody I know asked me recently about the meaning of life for me. Well... So much in answer to that question.  One aspect to me,  is meeting people, getting to know them, interacting with them, learning their stories. I find it fascinating. There is a card of Czeslaw Sewerynski, a folk artist on my desk. I met him at his stall during the folk fair in Kazimierz Dolny a few weeks ago. I added pictures of his colourful clay sculptures  to the blog the following day. We chatted for a while. He told me many things about his life and why he took up sculpting. I learnt about his interest in the lives of Christian saints and desire to depict them accurately.  If my legs were stronger, I could bike to Odrowaz to visit his workshop on a warm and sunny day like this. It is a lovely countryside route. Fabulous views. Forests, meadows, fields, villages, churches, hills and valleys. I remember standing there, on a hill by a beautiful old white church upon the hill, the great sense of fulfillment: 'I've made it! I biked all the way from Skarzysko! I saw dinosaurs' footprints on the way!' How fantastic a plain vanilla ice cream tasted, a reward for all the peddling. It wasn't easy. Sometimes, when it was uphill, a friend would push me from the back to make it. It was a great help. And amazing fun!
I will do all I can to gain strength in my knees again. Off to physio soon!

However, if I were to go to Odrowaz with friends by car, I'd plan a few more stops on the way, maybe: forest monuments,  Blizyn landmarks, the said dinosaurs venue and Pieklo (Hell) Rocks. I'll tell you more when I find the time.

Let's have a great day, shall we?

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I was allowed to publish these snaps showing the sand storm in the streets of Riyadh yesterday, 08.07.2013.  A friend took them on the way to work. Because of this sudden storm he and his friend had to abandon the plan of going to the desert at night and wait for the Moon to turn up thus marking the beginning of the Ramadan.

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The second day of physio went smoothly and I biked to Kamienna, the part of town separated by railroads. It once used to be the original town.

 Pictures from Kamienna begin with the plaque commemorating Wlodzimierz Sedlak, a priest and professor who went to school in Skarzysko-Kamienna. The plaque is on the building of the town library which bears the professor's name. Opposite the library is a club "Semafor", a popular venue for many concerts.

The bit of ruins below used to be one of the oldest cinemas in Poland, and a modern one at the time.

Retutning from Kamienna I led the bike up the  railway bridge stopping frequently to take pictures. Before the climb, I made a detour to take advantage of the low sun and photograph the abandoned railway territory. It used to be full of life, just like many factories that gave job to thousands of people. Now there is hardly any industry. Most people you meet are frustrated. It is very sad, because there is such a big potential in this place and in the people. However, like in many other parts of the world, the economy is bad here...

Any guesses as to what these flower pots are made of?  That's what you call recycling!:-)

The monument below was founded by the railwaymen of Skarzysko after the WW1 to commemorate the fact that the country also regained access to the sea. However, it originally stood further from the church, somewhere behind and beneath the house that I photographed and added above. It has recently been moved and now is more prominent. It faces the entrance to the Holiest Heart of Jesus Church which you can see in the pictures below.

The old rectory:

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Believe it or not, but I also managed to go for a swim today!