Thanksgiving?

It was such a surreal feeling last Thursday when I was walking to class. The white grey sky and chilly air were right. But the normal hustle and bustle I passed on my way to class was not. I guess it was kind of culturally ego-centric of me to think that someone might mention thanksgiving in my class - maybe the German teacher who speaks English so well or the Italian guy who also speaks English very well. But no mention or acknowledgment. I mean after all - it is celebrated by just about everyone in the US, regardless of religious beliefs? There I go, being culturally ego-centric again.

Rob and I had a very fun thanksgiving though. We celebrated by taking a trip to London to visit with friends and catch a Gomez concert. (Actually, the first person to mention Thanksgiving to us was the customs officer at London Stanstead airport.) We met up with Rob and Leslie when we got there and went straight to the concert. The venue was the Hammersmith Apollo. It was an old theatre with the seats removed for GA admission to the show. It reminded me a lot of the Recher Theatre in Towson - only the Beatles never played the Recher.

The show was a lot of fun - the band was great! I must say though - I did take some time during the show to have my own thanksgiving and think about what I was grateful for. This year especially there is so much to be thankful for - my marriage to Rob (!), the expansion of the LaGreca family by three new wonderful members (in four months), my incredible adventures here, and the health and happiness of so many of our family and friends.

The London adventures were a lot of fun. I didn't find London to have the same cultural mystique as beautiful Paris or wonderful Rome with its ancient history nestled in among the modern buildings, but we had a great time. I loved visiting with friends and being able to understand the language (mostly). We did a lot of shopping and walked around the town to visit Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the Royal Palace. The shopping was so much fun! London is expensive as we had heard, but with so many shops, you are bound to find a bargain (Like black suede knee high boots for 25 pounds (about $50)). And of course we had to sample the local cuisine. I did not find British food as bad as reported. We had some "pastys" which were like soup/stew in a hot pocket and of course - fish and chips! Rob and I stopped in a local pub close to Oxford Street (a huge shopping street) and had a taste. Oh boy was it good! And low cal too ;)

We also went to a local market. It was like the Basel market only supersized! It reminded me a bit of the Baltimore farmer's market under the JFX. This was under a series of overpasses - I guess that is key with the rainy weather. We got to sample lots of wonderful things - different pate and cheeses and jellies. But I think the best thing we had from the market was warm apple cider with chunks of apple in it. Hit the spot on a rainy London morning!

And so our adventures continue! I am well into my German classes and the lingo is inching along. Haven't been doing too much with the radio station but my homework, house stuff and our travels are plenty to keep me busy. Jenny Watta and Katie are on their way! They arrive on Friday for some Swiss fun. I know we will have a blast. The following weekend Rob and I will be going to Hiedelburg (his home previous to Baltimore) to visit friends and check out the Christmas market. And on Dec. 19th, we return to the US. That will be a wonderful adventure as well.