The tour endeth in Budapest

I am sitting in my hotel room listening to Hungarians on the street in Budapest singing Christmas
music. Delighted to have made my way here, where my daughter is finishing a term studying
Mathematics. In London the meeting about the Legacy Project drew about 45 people to the London
Shambhala Centre, which is located in the Oddfellows hall in Clapham. Students of Rigdzin Shikpo's
Longchen Foundation joined the Shambhala crowd for a lively discussion. I have been showing a set of
120 slides from the Archives collection. These have been very well received in Europe and give a
sense of yet another treasure trove in the Archives -- more than 100,000 images to be preserved.
London was enthusiastic about the on-line Archive project, especially the possibility of using
volunteer help with transcribing and cataloging of material. "Brilliant," said one chap. Thursday
morning I awoke at 4 am to take a flight from Gatwick to Cologne, where I was met by the Cologne
centre director, dear friend Yeshe Fuchs. Cologne is also the headquarters of Shambhala Europe. They
have quite a large facility, many many rooms on two floors of a kind of cultural centre. They would
like to have an exhibit of clothing and other objects belonging to Chogyam Trungpa, to be displayed
during the Congress they are hosting in May 2007. Yeshe and I discussed all the intricacies of sending
the Vidyadhara's belongings to Europe. We'll see if it's possible in this time frame. About 50 came to
the meeting on Wednesday night. People were animated and asked many questions. We had
translated the Sakyong's letter into German -- we being Katrine, who translated for me throughout
the evening. Friday morning I also arose at 4 am to take a German Wings flight to Vienna, where I was
met by Ernest Steininger. I stayed at the home of Otto and Irine Pichelhofer. In the late afternoon,
Sybille Putze picked me up and we took the underground into the city for a tour of the stables of the
Spanish Riding School. I didn't make it into the arena, but I was able to come nose to nose with the
Lippizanners, a great treat for me after working on DRAGON THUNDER with Diana Mukpo. After a
coffee and pastry in the cafe, we made our way through the brilliant lights of Vienna before Xmas --
to the very impressive Vienna Shambhala Centre. The group that came to hear about the Legacy
Project was quite small, less than 10, but they included a number of quite senior students with very
strong connections to the Vidyadhara. I also very much enjoyed the bar they have downstairs, and I
am promised a copy of a picture of several Viennese having a drink in the centre. I'll post it when I get
home. Travelling through Europe has given me much to think about vis a vis the Legacy Project. But
for now, I put my thoughts away and turn to spending time with my family. From the road, Cheers and
best wishes for the holidays.