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November 24, 2005
Happy Thanksgiving
If someone had told me I'd have the most interesting Thanksgiving ever in the Netherlands I wouldn't have believed it. Expectations were along the lines of my mexican Thanksgiving celebration: lounge on the beach and then order chicken fried steak (was it steak or was it chicken?) and chase with tequila at the local mexican dive.
We woke up early this morning and hopped a train for Leiden, the city where the pilgrims had a 10 year lay over before their sail to America. We sat in the church they worshipped in and walked along the river where the pilgrims caught a boat that took them to the Mayflower. This is the first Thanksgiving in a long time that meant more than a day off and a fat stomach.
As I walked along the beautiful cobblestone streets I couldn't help but wonder why anyone would leave this beautiful town for the harshness of a trans Atlantic boat ride and land without the luxuries of modern day Holland. Was life really that bad for them here or in England?
We hurried back to Amsterdam to make our reservations at the Hard Rock Cafe. Normally I'd avoid such a place (I make the exception for the Vegas Hard Rock Cafe) but it seemed truly appropriate on Thanksgiving Day. The turkey was terrible -- along the lines of mexican chicken fried steak but without the benefits of tequila. Was it really even turkey? But the atmosphere was perfect. Loud music, loud Americans. Typical American chain food fare. My stomach hurt as I rolled out of there and I knew it was a Thanksgiving to remember.
Posted by jana at November 24, 2005 1:40 PM
Comments
You know, Jana, I still can't figure out why you guys are there anyway -- and I even asked Andy, who replied simply with "It's a long story". I bet it was fascinating to see Turkey day from that angle in many ways! Viva La Hard Rock!
Posted by: Robin at November 27, 2005 4:08 PM