My wife Jean and I arrived at Letchworth on the Saturday morning after travelling during the night from Belgium! Not perfect planning; but that's life - or, more accurately, a frantic life!

I have a passion for architecture; so Letchworth for me was a dream destination. It was, of course, the first Garden City; and Esperanto has been there for over 100 years.

Fatigue during the Saturday made the Congress really dream-like for me: for better or worse!

Among the eighty participants the number of young Esperanto-speakers was very high: that's really good news! The AGM was brilliantly conducted by Professor John Wells; so no frightening fireworks; everything was sweetness and light!

World President Renato Corsetti gave the inaugural Buchanan Lecture (EAB and Liverpool University) about the value of bilingualism: very clear, very professional, and with refreshments afterwards.

There were interminable discussion groups about Renewal (the congress theme): far too many for me; a congress is primarily a celebration not cerebration.

Plenty of private conversations, however; lots of overseas participants; a few outstanding lectures, particularly from Anna Lowenstein (Renato's wife) about the hidden dimensions of children's literature: utterly enthralling; she should have given at least three lectures! And I must mention a stimulating lecture by Olga Kerziouk about her Esperanto remit in the British Library.

I did not go on the pilgrimage to nearby Cambridge where Dr. Zamenhof attended the world congress a hundred years ago; but reports about it have been very positive.

The Broadway Hotel where we stayed was excellent with a marvellous carvery and reasonably priced New World wines: highly recommended for those who wish to visit a town with an important place in Esperanto history!

Finally, Letchworth itself merits many more visitors than it apparently receives: it is an earthly paradise of layout, architecture and gardens. It still is a visionary destination. My first impressions were no dream!

David W. Bisset