Elation

Yesterday I was soo anxious, my passport on its way to the Serbian embassy. 9.30 I phone the embassy, ,no passport there yet! Phone the courier company ,they will deliver. Another phone call to the embassy - please do not phone again, we are busy. Past 14.00 I phone the embassy again, visa has been issued and passport collected. Miracle! Travel angency, Saturday flight full, Sunday still available.  What about Friday. Mmmmmm, maybe. By 17.00 I am booked on Turkish Airways to Istanbul 15.40 on the 12th with a connecting flight to Belgrade. Fiinally devastation turns into elation! this must be an all time record; a new passport within a week, a Schengen visum within two days, a serbian visa re-issued in a morning, and a new flight plan in an hour! special thanks to Mrs Jordaan at Home Affairs in Worcester who phoned Pretoria daily, the friendly peope at the German embassy who where preoared to go the extra mile, Postnet Cape Town who went out of their way to deliver and pick up the passport on the same day, the Serbian embassy who put up with my more than daily phone calls and delivered in a morning and last but not least, Madre, at Flight Centre is Worcester who patiently changed flights so many times.

 Stefan in the meantime is making good progress and slept for the first time at the Danube river at Rousse,  did 220km in 10 hours yesterday, absolutely amazing. He wants me to meet him at the Serbian/Bulgarian border at Bretovo,  probably on Sunday. Hope we do not pass each other without noticing!