Friday, January 30th

Evenin' gents,

Yesterday was the first experience of my now favorite street: Charing Cross Road. With Cari's unabridged patience I stopped at some dozen bookstores (primarily used, but some new). The wide range of novels was a sheer chip of British-culture, and I adored glancing through them. I picked up some twenty books, with intention of purchasing them, but hesitance or lack of suitcase space held me back. Specifically a 1838 copy of St. Augustine's Confessions caught my eye. Needless, once I've sorted transportation back to the states, my library will swell with new prized editions. I also was privileged to find the old smoke shop I mentioned in the last blog I composed. It was absolutely phenomenal, and I was able to pick up a couple rich English blends; the kind American tobacco growers strive to mimic with each crop. Afterwords, I was repaid in full, as I patiently escorted Cari and Ashley from clothing store to clothing store for the remainder of the evening.

Today was a wonderful trip to Cambridge University, which was quite a bit more than just a school. Composed of quite a few colleges, Cambridge held a vast network of shops, eateries, museums, and a quaint (but lovely) marketplace. After a warm English breakfast, I found myself carried away (pipe in hand packed with the most terrific leaf) amongst Cari and her friends to several clothing and tourist stores and then to the marketplace. I was awash in a sea of culture, from the bright flower-stands, to more exquisite used books, and around bargain-clothes. I was able to catch a military-history merchant who could've rambled WWII stories for hours with my undivided attention. From his stand I picked up a brooch of the Royal Armoured Corps, collected after the second World War, I'm sure I'll cherish it for ages. The return home was a bright one, the English country is, by my oppinion, the very definition of a beautiful landscape. I'm now finally seeing the trees, grass, streams and rivers described in my cherished Lord of the Rings in a while new, precise, light... and I've never been happier.

I suppose Cari will be composing the next blog or two, so until then know my love and farewell.
Stephen Cumby