A Time of Gifts

This book was gifted to me as I began my own pilgrimage from Prague on the Way of Saint James toward Nuremberg. It has been a wonderful companion as well as a source of inspiration concerning observation and making a record the journey. Admittedly, I have needed a dictionary on several occasions to help me as I plod along from page to page. 

Overall, the journey is enchanting, especially when taking into account the politics of Europe at that time (1933-1934). It is difficult to imagine just how much has changed. And while I am considerably older than the author, at the time of his journey (he was only 19), I feel no less enthusiasm by the revelations that come through such an endeavor. I hope this book will act as catalyst to those who similarly seek to find some meaning from the gift of time during Covid 19.  

At the very least, perhaps it will lead the reader back to those places already visited, to see them through different eyes. I was reminded of my first visit to Prague in the early 1990s, when it was still a bit rough on the edges, but so full of promise that the future could only be better. It is a sobering thought.