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Published: November 29th 2006
Last Thursday was a big day for Americans, and many turkeys, too. Even though Thanksgiving isn't nationally celebrated in Austria, the Central College group sure did. I believe all total we had somewhere around 30 people. The turkey was provided by the directors, but everything else was supplied and cooked by the students. It was a true test of our culinary skills. :-) We had so much food and it was all delicious! The traditional dishes were present (turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy, pies), but we also had a few non-stereotypical dishes (manicotti, Korean stir-fry). Everything tasted absolutely wonderful, and thank goodness for leftovers! Leftovers are heavenly for a student on a budget. :-)
The Central College classroom was transformed into a dining setting, lit by candlelight once the meal started. Yours truly baked two pies: apple and pumpkin, made from scratch, of course. There wasn’t a single morsel left of either one at the end of the night. Think that’s a good sign? :-) And since nobody else knew how to carve a turkey, I took control of the bird. Good thing I took notes from all those times Dad has done it in the past. ;-)
I couldn’t tell you how many pounds the turkey weighed, but I’ll just say that we had approximately 30 people present and half of the turkey left at the end of the night.
So, for all of those who wondered, yes, I did get to celebrate Thanksgiving, and it was great. I missed being able to celebrate it with family, but I was thinking of them. I was grateful to have a great group of people to spend the evening with, especially being so far away from home.
Vienna! This city is just looking prettier and more festive every day. The Christkindlmarkts have been set up, right along with the Gluhwein and Punsch stands. Gluhwein is a warmed wine with spices in it. Punsch is usually a fruit juice with rum and a few spices. Both warm you up from the inside out and are definitely a treat during this time of the year.
The Christkindlmarkts (Christmas markets) are a lot of fun to walk through. I've been through several already and have sampled several sweets. :-) Each is composed of numerous stands selling products varying from candles and honey to ornaments
and baked goods. Part of what makes Christkindlmarkts so special is the fact that they're outdoors. You get to wander around, looking at all of the beautiful knick-knacks, while enjoying the fresh air. Granted, once winter sets in, Jack Frost will be nipping at your nose, but that's why there's Gluhwein for sale. :-)
In front of the Rathaus (City Hall) is a very nice Christkindlmarkt, and what adds to the atmosphere is the fact that the Rathaus itself is a giant Advent calendar. I'm anxious for Advent to begin so I can see what's behind each of the curtains! A couple of weekends ago, I joined a few friends at the Christkindlmarkt in front of the Schonbrunn Palace. The Palace is beautiful in and of itself and serves as a nice backdrop against the 30 meter tall Christmas tree. We arrived there early enough in the afternoon to watch the lighting of the tree. The tree was brought in from Tirol, which is in western Austria. That tree has quite possibly seen more of Austria than I have. :-)
Winter and Christmas seasons are my favorite time of the year, and in Vienna, Christmas starts long
before Thanksgiving rolls around! There's not that unwritten rule here about starting to celebrate too early. :-) I am very fond of the Christmas ornaments being sold here. The way that they're displayed is a lot of fun to me, and they're just little bundles of sparkly brilliance! A good many of them are hand-painted, which I find impressive and think adds a little something to their appeal.
Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, I have Christmas to look forward to! My family will be coming to visit! I am so excited!!! It will be a Groelz Christmas, European style. :-)
Take care,
Annie
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Brenda
non-member comment
Can't wait!
I've rented an apartment in Vienna close to Annie's dorm. I'll be spending a week with her before Ned, Ben and Andrea come to Frankfurt. Jon is flying in on the 18th and will join us in Vienna. How nice to get a preview of what Vienna looks like for Christmas!