anne abroad: tourist/today/turkey

Playing Tourist

A couple weekends ago, my friend Caroline and her flatmate Audrey crashed at my flat for a night--just returning the favor from when I stayed with them in Glasgow. I met them at the South Bank, the southern part of central London, for a ride on the London Eye.

Inside the Eye

I spy from the London Eye...


Audrey, Caroline and Eye

It cost a whopping 17 pounds for a half-hour ride. In retrospect, I'd say it wasn't worth it except to satisfy my curiousity--now I know!

You know you're becoming a Londoner when you find yourself getting annoyed with tourists. Central London on a Saturday is packed with them. I decided to embrace the situation and play the part myself, phone booth pictures and all!

Today

Victoria & Albert Museum in the a.m. with my art histories class: possibly my favorite museum visit thus far. I think I'll write my final essay on something in the V&A.
Visited the monstrosity that is Harrod's; posh, expensive, endless, and wonderfully decorated for Christmas!
Lunch with friends at a chain eatery called, appropriately enough, "EAT." (We wanted to eat at one of the many cafes in Harrod's, but they were all too expensive!
Took the tube to the British library. Wandered around and checked out an exhibition about the development of the English language. Saw an early manuscript of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. Saw an early manuscript of Beowulf, (BEOWULF!! Yeah, we're talkin year 1000, here!) and of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Mind-blowing. Beautiful. Also saw the original manuscript of Jane Austen's Persuasion. The exhibit went from works of art like that, to "text message poetry." Oh, what have we become? Lol.
Came back, heated up some soup, ate some leftover cake, and washed the mountain of pots and pans leftover from last night, which brings me to...

Thanksgiving
Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and although it wasn't my first Thanksgiving away from home, it was my first Thanksgiving spent in a different country--surrounded by people who don't know about the pilgrims. The three Americans of flat 40 (Michael, Janette, and myself) were bound and determined to show our British friends what turkey day is all about. We went on an epic trip to Sainsbury's on Wednesday evening, armed with an extensive shopping list. I discovered that yams and pumpkin, canned or otherwise, are hard to come by in London. I had my heart set on making an apple pie, but couldn't find a pie tin, or sour cream (my mom has a killer sour cream apple pie recipe). I ended up getting a carrot cake from the farmer's market and topping it with cream cheese icing and pecans. Michael used to work for a catering company, and he was so funny about getting all the preparation details perfect--he wrote out a "game plan" for us as to when everything should go in the oven, etc. Wednesday night, Janette and I chopped up all the stuffing ingredients and iced our pretty cake.

Michael's game plan worked out perfectly on Thursday! We had turkey, stuffing, mountains of mashed potatoes, peas/corn/carrots, rolls, gravy, and cake, plus a key lime pie and an apple tart that somebody picked up from the grocery store. Our whole flat plus some significant others and some Thanksgiving dinner-less American friends all jammed into our kitchen to enjoy the feast. I tripled my Grandaddy's stuffing recipe, and it was a huge hit--no leftovers in that area!

What a great Thanksgiving, sharing a beloved tradition with new friends in London. Nothing beats a crowded kitchen full of loud happy people and the smells of Thanksgiving dinner. Afterward, I talked to my family in South Jordan for the first time, I think, since my first day in London. Made me realize how blessed I am to be experiencing life in London with a loving family rooting for me on the other side of the pond. I have much to be thankful for!