Eric Scheske

Here's Marie in front of Big Ben, last Saturday evening. After Mass at Winchester Westminster Cathedral, we bought a few cans of gin-and-tonic (a nifty product that I haven't seen in the States) and walked along the Thames. Our entire time in England was enjoyable, but

Well, I made it to the Inklings hangout. The current owners capitalize on the connection, but tastefully so. If you find yourself in southern England, I would definitely recommend a trip to Oxford and lunch at the Eagle and Child. The food was very good (as far as British food

We got home a few hours ago, following a 20+-hour travel ordeal. I'm among the walking dead right now, but wanted to take a moment to post this picture from Merton College (where Tolkien taught and spent many, many hours). He lived in the building behind me,

But of course, I will be traveling to Beaconsfield to see GKC's home. I've been reading about it for years in Gilbert Magazine and it appears it's on 40, which is the route we're taking for a day trip to Oxford.

I have every expectation of taking in lunch and beer here: The Eagle and Child Pub, where the Inklings gathered on Tuesdays to drink beer and discuss loftier things [http://catholicexchange.com/cs-lewis-and-the-tao]. My goal is to make it here on Tuesday, but since we're supposed to be

Today is our day trip to Paris. To be honest, I've never much wanted to see Paris. Unlike London, which I intuitively acquaint with Chesterton, Dickens, and Mary Poppin, I intuitively acquaint Paris with the French Revolution, rudeness, and ineffective arm deodorant. Nonetheless, it is a major city

Our hotel isn't far from Westminster Cathedral [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Cathedral]. Hopefully, this morning will find me at Mass there. I'd rather go to Mass at Westminster Abbey, but of course, it hasn't been returned to the RCC after Henry VIII&

While looking for pubs in Camden (where we're staying), I saw a list of "pubs" and a separate list of "bars." I didn't know there was a difference, but apparently there is. Here's a comparison chart [http://www.diffen.com/

God willing, you're reading this while I'm in England, celebrating my 25th wedding anniversary with Marie. We are staying in Camden [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Borough_of_Camden]. We are very close to the Charles Dickens Museum [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens_

St. Dann You ever notice how many saints die of drug overdoses? It's amazing. A newspaper article will recount a man or woman's last days in a way that makes the person sound sweeter than St. Francis, and then, buried in the middle of the article,