In February 1993 Brian Smedley & Mac McCausland were joined by Stuart Croskell on a mid winter trains and just trains fact finding trip to Czech Republic to plan the many projects for the year. The tour took in Prague, Uherske Hradiste and Ceske Budejovice.
Fri 12 Feb The group travel up to Egham in Surrey where Stuart is a student and then on to Macs Kentish home town of Minster
Sat 13 Feb a series of trains via canterbury and Dover and a ferry to Ostende and then the 2030 night train to Nurnburg.
Sun 14 Feb arrived Nurnburg station at 05.13 and then got the 0730 train to Prague arriving at 1300. Met Svetlana Novarova at the CSSD offices and then Ken Biggs the Communist. The group decided to stay up all night, however drunk and freezing in a blizzard they got seperated at Masaryk railway station and only just manage to get an early morning train to Brno
Mon 15 Feb Taking the 6am train to Brno, arriving at 0930 they have to get a bus to UH. Staying at the Hotel Fojta on the main square the group rest a while and then meet up with the now 3 Bridgwater exiles living in UH -Keith Painter, Andrew Napthine and Dale Bruton.
Tues 16 Feb The group visits old friends and checks out Mr Plachys hotel in Luhacovice. It’s under new management (but you can see the green paint through the yellow overcoat..)
Wed 17 Feb the guys do some school visits. SPS and the state Gymnasium. The Brits in exile use them as conversation guinea pigs. Antonin and Liba join them for the evening in a wine bar
Thurs 18 Feb Leaving UH the group travels to Ceske Budejovice by bus meeting Alena Tragrova and some young students who would like to come to England -Dagmar & Lucie
Fri 19 Feb It’s an early morning train to Prague then on by train to Nurnburg and a night train to Ostend (0024 to 0925)
Sat 20 Feb Catching the 0945 ferry which got in at 1300 its a train abck to Minster and picking up Smedleys car for the drive back to Somerset