I have recently returned from a three week trip to London and Paris. Before I left I posted comments on two topics on the Board, travel umbrellas and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in London. I am back with updates from my experiences in London.

First the travel umbrella: On a fairly nice morning I set out, leaving my umbrella at the hotel—how foolish! The rains came while I was near the Horse Guards on Whitehall. Of course, there was a souvenir stand near. I am now forever branded as a tourist by my new travel umbrella featuring the British flag.

However, this does not end my "brolly" story. The next day I had a tour to Salisbury, Stonehenge, and Bath. Of course,I took an umbrella, but not the "obvious tourist" one. At Stonehenge the weather matched the site in strangeness. The rain became harder, and the wind blew more wildly—-and my umbrella suffered to the tune of broken ribs over for one- fourth of it.

If any one remembers my story about "killed" umbrellas near Lourdes and on Mt. Vesuvius on previous trips, wouldn't you say that England didn't want to be left out?

The original post about the Cheshire Cheese reminded me of one of the few places I remembered visiting in London during my only other trip 44 years ago.I went to the website and determined that I would again go there and stated this in my post.

I carried out my plan after visiting the Tower and St. Paul's, both places where I enjoyed marvelous tours lead by a Beefeater and a volunteer Friend of St. Paul's respectively.

Because of this, it was after 3 p.m. when I found Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, just off Fleet Street. However, I enjoyed a great pub lunch with only Dr. Johnson's portrait as company through most of it. As promised on the menu, my lunch consisted of "Cheshire Cheese, Pickles, and Crusty Bread,"which I accompanied with a delicious glass of ale. The pickles were a chutney of some sort, which was really good as were the cheese and bread. And indeed the latter was oh so crusty and wonderfully chewy!

These are but two of my trip's fun memories, and, as usual, my writing became a bit long. I will try to post again soon about some of the other highlights of my trip.

Regards, Joan in Rockford, Illinois