October 6, 1943

Dear Marty,
How is the USA? I guess I’m used to the idea of being in England now. I can go to London and not feel like an utter stranger. I am startled if I see a car driving on the right side of the road. I can add 4/6 and 1/10 and subtract 2/3 and be fairly sure of the result. I can find my way around in the blackout even without a flashlight if necessary. I can understand lingo fairly well. I prefer tea to coffee in an English restaurant. And I can sleep through an air raid alert (no bombs) + that’s more than you can do.
Yesterday Janson + I decided there are other things beside London to see, so we went to St. Albans. The cathedral there was partly built by the Normans in 1077, using bricks from the Roman town of Verulamium nearby + including some pillars from the Saxon Church (793) which was there before. The rest was setup in the 12th + 13th centuries. It’s somewhat mixed architecturally, is quite imposing. Some of Verulamium is still there, including a long stretch of town wall and a few beautiful mosaic floors and a museum full of small articles (100-200 AD). Excavation will continue after the war. St. Alban is exceeding interesting + very quaint in places. I’m still hoping to hear from you. The boys think V-mail is usually faster + always more dependable than air mail.

Love B