Arrived back from Transylvania and Bucharest, Romania and Sophia, Bulgaria on Tuesday afternoon. It was a long and wonderful week.

But first let's catch up on some older news..

Dombovar Project

On my third day in the Southern Transdanubian Region I visited the city of Dombovar. The meeting, which was covered by the local cable news folks, included the Dombovar Mayor, the Regional Director and the President of the Association of Small Communities.

We discussed the issues of forming these new regions after nearly 1000 years of the old county system. It isn't easy; I noticed eyes rolling and grins when I asked about the challenges. The mayors all agreed that their commitment to working together is rooted in the knowledge that as a group they can be much more successful than on their own, some villages in the group only have 750 residents. This association has already taken on the project of developing a gas pipeline and is looking at other infrastructure needs. I asked what had been the most important step for them; after a moment they agreed that it was to identify the strengths of each community and the region and work from there. A significant feature as you drive into Dombovar is the old Soviet military

base that is on the edge of town. With more than 35 hectares (80 acres or so) located on a rail hub that connects both Pecs and Budapest and hopefully a highway someday(!), the location is very good. A sign of the mayor's cooperation is that it is now called the Dombovar Industrial Park, while it is actually located in another village area. But all of them agreed that it would be easier to market and identify using the name of the larger city.

The costs associated with the project and the revenue are shared with 40% to Dombovar, 20% to the village in which it is located and 20% to the remaining small communities in the group.

We visited the site and met with the manager of a German-owned shoe factory. The well-lit and ventilated rooms housed more than 60 sewers, cutters and support staff. The business employs nearly 100 people total.

The regional development group has received funding to develop a business incubator project and renovate the old housing units. At this time 113 apartments have been rented and there are 175 more being renovated. Many of the residents are employed on the site. A small grocery store opened recently as activity increased. The education level is very high here, as I had heard in other places many of the unemployed are folks with a good education and even University Degrees, but when the "Political Changes" took place the jobs went away and have not been replaced, until now. There is a good entrepreneurial spirit and folks here want good jobs, a clean environment. They are working hard to make that happen.

Also located in the town is a wonderful health spa with mineral baths, Dombovar-Gunaras Gyogyfurdo. The Manager Adam Nagy and his staff were very pleased to show us around the facility, which houses several outdoor pools, indoor pools, facilities for underwater exercise classes, physical therapy rooms, as well as, playgrounds and pools for kids. The Spa is undergoing major renovations to accommodate the increased demand for alternative health and wellness care. There are doctors on staff and treatment programs for arthritis and other medical conditions bring people here from all over the region. The neighborhood is filled with summer cottages and rental units.

Varong Village

Our next stop was the tiny (250 residents) village of Varong. This village has launched into village tourism by having the town hall renovated into an inn and restaurant (pension)! The town runs the project and the revenue is used to support town activities and keep taxes down. Meat is purchased from a local animal agriculture co-op in the area allowing them to increase their employment opportunities and increase the number of animals they are raising. They also buy vegetables from local farmers. The village now employs two people full-time to run the project. Meetings have been held with the local folks to identify residents who would like to open their homes/farms to tourists. The town is also making an effort to increase the marketing of local crafts.

Guests are 80% from Hungary and the remainder from Austria, France and Sweden. In the first year of operation the Varong Pension had an occupancy rate of over 30% and many folks have indicated that they will be returning. It is easy to see why the quiet, picturesque village is the perfect place for a vacation. There are four well-furnished rooms and an upstairs sitting room, which now boasts a small Maine flag. Local activities include hunting, fishing, horseback riding, hiking, biking and horse cart tours. In the future they are planning on horse shows and grape harvest celebrations. There is also an old school building, which they would like to convert into a youth hostel and offer summer forest camp programs. The cooking, all done on site, is wonderful. Our lunch consisted of vegetable beef soup, pork paprikash with homemade noodles, pickles, a stuffed meat roll with potatoes and dessert. It is a very special, homey experience. And for the equivalent of $6 per night without breakfast, a deal that can't be beat.

The mayor, who has been the driving force behind this project, has been meeting monthly with the other area small community mayors in this region. All of them are committed to seeing opportunities grow in their communities without sacrificing the rare quality of life that is an essential part of their villages.

Next week- Salt Mines, Thanksgiving and Transylvania -it's more fun than you might think!