Thanksgiving!

Just another work day like any other here, but my office mates made a "Happy Thanksgiving" card for me and the school arranged a dinner for U.S. students in the evening at the Merchant Adventurer's Hall - a beautiful old building from the 1300s.

The evening started off with a reception in the 'undercroft' with mulled wine and cider.

And then on upstairs for the dinner, starting with a thin soup of mixed roasted vegetables.  No turkey (which we had expected since turkey is the traditional Christmas dinner here), but there was chicken and pork roast (the dressing came with the pork - plus applesauce). The veggies were roasted potatoes, carrots and parsnips.  Dessert was either apple or strawberry tart - sort of a cream pie with slices of sugared fruit on top.  It was good and we all ate way too much (just like a normal Thanksgiving), but we did miss our traditional meal as well as our family and friends.  But how often does one get to celebrate Thanksgiving in a hall built centuries before the first Thanksgiving even took place?  We have much to be thankful for, indeed.