Growing up, Thanksgiving wasn't a big holiday for us (I am child of immigrants - they do not get the whole pumpkin and turkey thing). So I don't have a preconceived or sentimental notion of what "should be" done. There is no special recipe for Grandma's candied yams, no wishbone pulling or touch football on the lawn. I don't even know what candied yams are, I just hear about them on TV.
Our families are now also so far-flung, that there is no home base that everyone naturally congregates to during the holidays -- we'll just meet in a city mid-way about once a year according to schedules. That leaves our Thanksgiving free of obligations, and whilst it may be heretical to some, I like it that way.
Thanksgiving is my no-stress holiday. For me, it typically involves a quiet meal for two, peaceful reflection on the many things we have to be thankful for, and a long weekend doing some of my favorite things (shopping always ranks high). Over the past few years, our tradition has evolved to also include traveling, often to places where no turkey is to be had at all. In that spirit, I started thinking about some of the places we've been for Thanksgiving over the last few years, and I thought it would be fun to share it here.
Dublin, 2008
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| Dublin was chilly and foggy and perfectly atmospheric. |
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| Dublin Castle, with Justice and her scales (notice she's not blind-folded). |
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| The weather necessitated frequent tea stops... |
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| ... or even something stronger! |
Dublin Thanksgiving Menu: Fish and chips, fried in unpardonable amounts of beef tallow, served piping hot in rolled up newspaper. The shop had no seating, so we carted the bag to our hotel room and ate our fill sitting in bed, greasy fingers and tiny tartar packets galore. I still dream about this meal...
Vienna, 2009
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| Chandeliers over Karntnerstrasse made everything look so magical. |
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| Outside the gates leading to the Imperial Apartments. |
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| Inside the Imperial Apartments' museum of home decor - okay, basically this whole museum served as inspiration should I ever need to redecorate a la Franz and Sissi (or Liberace) style. Forget "should" - this WILL happen some day! |
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| Christmas markets were in full-swing. |
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| From inside the Opera House. |
Vienna Thanksgiving Menu: Weiner Schnitzel of course, and buttery spatzle (a kind of lumpy yummy noodle), with a nice white wine, followed by dessert at the famous Hotel Sacher (Sacher Torte, in case you were wondering).
Stockholm, 2010
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| View across Riddarfjärden, the bay in Stockholm. |
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| View of the Gamla Stan, the old city. |
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| From the Vasa, a ship which sunk in the 1600s and was brought up and carefully restored. |
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| Snow falling during late-night walks. |
Stockholm Thanksgiving Menu: The Grand Hotel Smorgasbord with umpteen kinds of herring and entirely too much Akvavit (schnapps). And this is where my improbable herring love-affair began.
In a couple days, we'll be departing for our next Thanksgiving destination, Buenos Aires, where no doubt I will be trading in the turkey in for a steak the size of my head. It's tradition, after all.
What about you - any Thanksgiving traditions you would like to share?
