[VanimaEdhel]

I finally found the topic, quite late again, as is usual, it seems, for me. Squatter: your eloquent narration of your journey put me, too, into tears. Reading that fellow-posters reacted in a similar fashion reduced my embarassment a fraction, however.

The most intelligent thing that I could muster to express my jealousy of your experience was, "And I was happy about going to Russia and Finland this summer". I, too, desire someday to make a similar pilgrimage if I have the finances and time to make the trek from New York to England (the ability to drive would be of great help).

Not to sound redundant, as you have heard this many times already, but congratulations on your seizure of the moment! The whole tale is just so romantic that I am sure that almost any of us here would commit any act for such an experience: breaking into a cemetary under the stars, reading poetry, seeing our idol's grave; it is just all so amazing. When you grow old, you will probably always recall that moment (and relate it to your grandchildren thousands of times); the moment in which you visited the grave.

We really should hide a rope somewhere by the cemetary that only we Tolkien fanatics know about. Then we can sneak in and pay homage in our own ways each time (whether through poetry, prose, music, drawing, or just silently realizing that we have achieved an amazing goal). Not that I am suggesting that we be illegal or anything. You all know that I would never to anything illegal. [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

My deepest admiration and strongest congratulations,
Rachel