Monday, January 8, 2018

Greetings from near Budapest

Belated Merry Christmas - I was in Belgrade - and belated Happy New Year - I was in Croatia...

I've been looking hard for a computer update all along the way, but at Christmas, the warm and wonderful Petites Soeurs de Jesus had a dial-up modem... updating the blog just didn't work; then all the public buildings and most parish offices were closed for two weeks for holiday times, and well, that finished off Serbia and Croatia, and I'm now well into Hungary, and only have a few minutes in a school library before the kids arrive for computer class...

I've just passed the 2,000 kilometer mark for this pilgrimage, and now that I've entered Schengenland, the race is on to get to Tours and off the continent within 90 days.  I'm having a great time =D

The weather has been unseasonably warm, very springlike, which forces me to carry my winter clothes in my backpack and slosh through mud instead of snow.  The swans that have been keeping me company all along my Danube wanderings don't seem to mind.  I hope winter appears again - I only had one snowy week back in Romania.  Still, the scenery is tranquil and gorgeous.  Hungary is well set with pilgrim routes fairly well marked and very well supplied with information boards printed in Hungarian and in English.  Many people speak German, so communication has been getting easier.

The world needs more pilgrims...
cheers!