Tourists and Terrorists

My wife and I have just returned from a two-week visit to England. We had had some thought of canceling because of terrorism scares and nuclear scares. But we had planned on it with careful thought and some amount of research, and we decided that the odds against any problem were quite in our favor--so we went.

Now, having had a safe trip, we hear of continuing cancellations and read letters in The Times regarding the disappointment of Britons toward Americans after they gave us their support in the Libyan crisis, and after so many years of friendship and alliance that we have mutually enjoyed. It is really a most unfortunate situation and a loss for both the Americans who aren’t going, and the British.

Our trip was one of the most pleasant I have ever taken. The country is charming and beautiful beyond belief. We saw a couple of musicals that epitomize the marvel of British theater (Chess and Les Miserables--remarkable), we visited castles, cathedrals and homes that were built hundreds of years before Columbus was born, and we met people just in passing who were honest, decent and welcoming, and who wondered where the Americans were.

Nowhere, not in the airports or on the streets, did we see a gun or any sign of fear, and once the trip had begun our own apprehensions faded rapidly.

I will go back to England. There is so much there and we didn’t stay nearly long enough, but now I know I will go back. And the food wasn’t bad at all.

DAVID SAXON

Van Nuys