Thanksgiving and dressing...

My host family's house

Sunshine by the pond

Crazy rommie

Sunset by the pond

Her på 1. søndag i advent, er Thanksgiving for alvor et overstået kapitel. 

Selvom advent ikke rigtigt bliver fejret ligesom vi gør det derhjemme, men nu er alle besøgende familiemedlemmer taget hjem, og resterne af kalkun m.m. er kommet i fryseposer. 

Det har været min aller første Thanksgiving, og den bestod af en hel masse god mad, og godt selskab med familiemedlemmer og venner. 

Nogle har hørt at Thanksgiving er større end jul herovre, og det er måske rigtigt for nogle familier, men hvad jeg har indtryk af indtil videre, så tror jeg nu at julen er større her. 

Måske det har noget at gøre med muligheden for flere dekorationer, længere periode, osv., men måske er det bare fordi der er børn i familien - det skal jeg ikke kunne sige ;-) 

Vores Thanksgiving menu bestod af:

Grillet kalkun

Grillet skinke

Grillet boston butt (ca. en nakkefilet)

Mac 'n Cheese

Dressing (som ikke har noget med dressing at gøre, men er en brød/kylling ret som man laver i stedet for fyld i kalkunen)

Green bean casserole

Fried okra

Sweet potato souffle

Peas and corn

Og alle desserterne:

Mystery pecan pie

Strawberry pie

Italian cream cake

Congealed salad

Forskellige cookies

Så der var nok at se til :-) 

Jeg har egentligt altid haft en ide om at Thanksgiving var en middags-ting, men det er faktisk mere en sen frokost - og med alt den mad vi fik, så blev det aldrig rigtigt til aftensmad den dag..

Jeg fik også shoppet lidt til Black Friday hvor butikkerne startede udsalg alt lige fra 17 om eftermiddagen torsdag til kl. 5 om morgenen fredag. 

I morgen er det "CyberMonday", som er ligesom BlackFriday, men bare for alle internetbutikkerne i stedet ;-) - så må vi se om der er noget jeg ikke kan leve uden! 

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On the 1st Sunday of Advent, Thanksgiving is now officially over. 

Even though advents are not really celebrated here, all the visiting family members have headed home, and the leftover turkey has been bagged and put in the deep freezer. 

It's been my very first Thanksgiving holiday and it primarily consisted of a whole lot of good food, and great company with family and friends. 

Some say Thanksgiving is bigger than Christmas here, and that might be true for some families, however my impression so far is that Christmas is bigger here. 

Maybe it has to do with the opportunity of decorating, or the length of the holiday, but maybe it's just because there are kids in the family - who knows ;-)

Our Thanksgiving menu consisted of: 

Grilled turkey

Grilled ham

Grilled boston butt

Mac 'n Cheese

Dressing (the bread/chicken kind of dish, that has nothing to do with salad dressing)

Green bean casserole

Fried okra

Sweet potato soufflé

Peas and corn

And then the desserts:

Mystery pecan pie

Strawberry pie

Italian cream cake

Congealed salad

Various cookies

So there was plenty to see to :-)

Somehow I've always thought of Thanksgiving of being a dinner thing, but it's actually more like a late lunch thing - and with all the food we had, we never really had dinner..

I also got to do some Black Friday shopping - stores started their sales somewhere between 5PM Thursday and 5AM Friday.

Tomorrow is Cyber Monday which is a spin-off on Black Friday, but for all the internet shops ;-) - so we'll have to see if I find something I just can't live without!

About one-way streets and driving in DC...

National Mall panorama at lunch time 

Tour at the National American Indian Museum

One of the entrances to the National American Art Museum

Burgers at Johnny Rockets

På vores allersidste dag i Washington stiftede vi bekendtskab med en af de smartere frokost-sandwich barer som er velbesøgt af alle de lokale, travle business-folk, og en af de gode gamle, klassiske, amerikanske dinere, hvor vi primært så turister.

Frokosten blev indtaget i fuld solskin på National Mall (og i ca. 20 grader) - skønt, skønt, skønt!

Ind i mellem havde vi været på kunstmuseum og set traditionelle amerikanske møbler, og på Native American Indian (indianer) museum for denne gang at besøge deres udstillinger. 

Hvert sekund skulle nydes inden afgang mod Georgia ved 7-tiden, men der skulle også sendes et par postkort - og jeg ville virkelig gerne sende dem fra DC, og ikke først fra Valdosta når jeg kom hjem. 

Det skulle dog vise sig ikke at være så ligetil som man skulle tro, man kan nemlig ikke købe frimærker særlig mange steder her - f.eks. solgte de dem ikke der hvor jeg købte postkortene, som man ellers skulle tro. 

Så inden vi kørte en sidste tur til Georgetown for at se området i dagslys og kigge lidt i butikkerne, satte jeg GPS'en på nærmeste posthus, som angiveligt skulle have frimærker til Europa. 

Straks som vi kom ind i bilen faldt resten af befolkningen i søvn, og jeg var ladt alene med min iPhone som navigator i den ene hånd, og Washington's travle, og vanvittige trafik som min udfordring!

Lad mig sige det med det samme: Washington vandt!

Efter at have kørt omkring den samme blok (hvor GPS'en sagde at posthuset var), uden at se lyset af et posthus, var jeg ved at være godt frustreret, og i et forsøg på at passere blokken endnu en gang, finder jeg mig lige pludselig på en ensrettet vej - i den FORKERTE RETNING! 

Heldigvis ingen alarm, og jeg redder situationen rimelig nemt, men i sidste ende kom postkortene hele vejen med hjem til Valdosta hvor jeg sendte dem i går.

Om trafikken i Washington kan jeg kun sige at jeg er glad for at vi brugte Uber hele weekenden bortset fra den sidste dag. De er utroligt glade for skilte som kun gælder i visse tidsperioder på visse dage? F.eks.: venstresving forbudt, mandag-fredag, 6.30-8.30AM og 4.30-6.30PM - og når hjernen er i ferie-mode, så er det altså forvirrende! 

Nu er jeg klar til gengæld klar til Thanksgiving, som fejres her hos min værstfamilie - vi bliver 18 personer :-)

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On our very last day in Washington we both tried sandwiches from one of the fancier and popular sandwich places in downtown DC, and good old fashioned, traditional American diner style hamburgers. 

We enjoyed our lunch at the National Mall in sunshine (and around 65 degrees) - just wonderful!

Before and after we visited the National American Art Museum where we saw some old American furniture, and the National Native American Indian Museum where we actually saw exhibitions and not just the food court. 

I was enjoying every last second of DC before we had to leave for South Georgia around 7, but before leaving I really wanted to send my postcards from DC, and not take them home and send them from Valdosta. 

However, that was not as easily done as it was said! There aren't that many places where you can actually get stamps for Europe, and the place I bought the postcards didn't sell stamps at all. 

So before heading to Georgetown one last time to see the neighborhood in day light and to visit some of the shops, I set the GPS to the nearest post office. 

By the time I started driving, the rest of the car fell asleep from the exhaustion of the museums, and I was left alone with my iPhone as a navigator and the DC traffic as my challenge.

Let me just say it: DC won!

After circling the same block several times, with no sign of the post office that was supposed to be there, I was getting slightly frustrated. So in an attempt to circle the block one last time, I all of a sudden find myself going down a one-way street, in the WRONG DIRECTION!

No alarm, I elegantly saved the situation, but the postcards stayed in the car until we got to Valdosta where I could actually get to a postoffice. 

About traffic in DC, all I can say is that I am happy that we used Uber the entire weekend, except that last day. They have a thing here for signs that are restricted to a certain time period? Like: No left turns on Monday-Fridy from 6.30-8.30AM and 4.30-6.30PM - and with a brain that's on holiday, that is really confusing!

Now I am ready for some Thanksgiving celebration here with my host family - we'll be 18 people :-)

Another long walk..

Jefferson - so beautiful!

Randi and Randi at the Roosvelt Memorial

Only place to take you holiday pictures - Roosevelt Memorial

The Korean War Memorial

Fall colors and The Washington Monument - simply stunning

Martin Luther King Jr. 

Endnu en smuk dag i DC med besøg ved Jeffersons memorial og gåtur omkring søen hen til The Korean War Memorial, Roosevelt Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, og en tur forbi bagsiden af Det Hvide Hus i dagslys :-) 

På vedhæftede billede er der ikke zoomet eller lignende, så det viser altså den reele afstand man har fra hegnet langs fortovet og op til huset. 

Da vi endelig var færdige med vores lange gåtur, var det museumstid, og vi startede med amerikansk historie hvor særligt deres udstilling omkring USAs deltagelse i diverse krige m.m. var virkelig interessant. Det begynder altså at komme tæt på når 9/11 og Afghanistan og Irak krigene er en del af en udstilling på et museum...

Derefter var vi på Air and Space Museum, men her var vi efterhånden så udmattede så vi næsten ikke orkede at opleve og lære mere, så efter blot 30 minutter var vi på vej hjem til lejligheden for lige at lade batterierne lidt op.. 

Til aftensmad var vi på en fancy, lækker restaurant (Hamilton), som dog stadigvæk ikke når priserne ved åen i Aarhus :-)

I kan i øvrigt se flere flotte billeder fra min fantastiske tur til Washington lige her - og der kan I også se næsten alle mine selfies i stor udgave! ;-)

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Another beautiful day in DC with a visit to Jefferson's Memorial, a long walk around one of the lakes to The Korean War Memorial, Roosevelt's Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and a pass by the back side og The White House in daylight :-) 

On the picture there is no zoom or anything, so it shows the actual distance from the fence by the sidewalk and up to the house. 

When we were done with our long walk it was time for the museums, and we started out with American History where especially their exhibition on the US's participation in various wars was really interesting. It starts to get closer when 9/11 and Afghanistan and Iraq wars are part of the exhibitions... 

Afterwards we went on to the Air and Space Museum, but at this time we had gotten so tired that we didn't really have enough energy to experience and learn any more, so after 30 minutes we were on our way home to charge our batteries a bit.. 

We had dinner at a fancy and super delicious restaurant (Hamilton), which still wasn't as expensive as our usual cafés on the riverfront in Aarhus where I used to live :-) 

You can see more pretty pictures from my amazing trip to Washington right here - and you can also see almost all of my selfies in full size ;-)

That time I became a selfie-queen

Would you believe it if I said we took this picture in the Oval Office?

Scandinavia at the US Navy Memorial

Food trucks along The National Mall - the American version of a Danish "Pølsevogn"

Her har I et udsnit af mine mange selfies fra weekenden.. Det er næsten pinligt, men mest af alt sjovt! Og så har jeg da i det mindste rigeligt med bevis for at jeg rent faktisk var der ;-)

Vores første hele dag i Washington var helt fantastisk! Som en rigtig dansker skal man jo fremhæve vejret som afgørende faktor for udbyttet af turen, som her var helt i top!

Lørdag var en kølig dag med tempereatur omkring 8-12 grader. Til gengæld var der høj solskin og blå himmel hele dagen, og det skabte perfekte forhold for at nyde alle Washington's mange monumenter og memorials. 

Vi fik særlig kigget på Det Hvide Hus, The Capitol, The Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, The Lincoln Memorial, og The Vietnam War Memorial. 

Midt i vores tur omkring the Capitol kom vi i snak med en lokal amerikaner som udover at være meget snaksagelig, også anbefalede os at besøge The American Indian Museum, om ikke andet end så bare for at prøve deres buffalo burger - så det gjorde vi så! Og ja  - det var altså rigtig buffalo!

Vi sluttede aftenen i DC's Chinatown, som ikke er specielt kinesisk længere, men vi fandt en god kinesisk restaurant, og med Freja på vores hold, som snakker kinesisk, så fik vi også bestilt noget god mad :-) 

Jeg fik min første fortune cookie, men min fortune var ikke umiddelbart noget at skrive hjem om, desværre ;-)

Washington er så smuk! (Men hold da op de har mange memorials....!)

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Here are just a couple of my selfies from the weekend.. It is almost embarrassing, but mostly it is fun! And it provides me with plenty of proof that I was actually there ;-)

Our first full day in Washington was amazing! As a true Dane, I have to comment on the weather as it is crucial to the outcome of the trip, but here it was just perfect! (Danes always talk about the weather...)

Saturday was a cool day around 40 degrees, but we had sunshine and a blue sky all day creating the perfect environment to truly enjoy all of Washington's monuments and memorials. 

We explored The White House, The Capitol,  The Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, The Lincoln Memorial, and The Vietnam War Memorial. 

During our tour of The Capitol, we met an American guy who recommended us to visit The Native American Indian Museum, if anything then just to try their buffalo burger - so we did! And yes - it was real buffalo!

We ended our evening in DC's Chinatown, which is not actually that Chinese anymore, but we did manage to find a good Chinese restaurant, and with Freja on our team, who speaks Chinese, we also managed to order some pretty good food :-)

I had my very first fortune cookie, but my fortune wasn't exactly worth remembering, unfortunately ;-)

Washington is so beautiful! (But wow do they have a lot of memorials....!)

17 hours later....

   

Efter 17 lange timer på vejen, kom vi endelig frem til Washington fredag formiddag ved 10-tiden. 

Da vi først kunne tjekke ind i vores lejlighed senere på eftermiddag startede vi i et outlet lige uden for byen. 

Vi brugte mere end en halv time i Nike på at prøve sko - og jeg købte ikke en gang nogen i sidste ende... 

Derudover var vi inde og prøve solbriller, og her har jeg brug for råd! 

Jeg har villet købe et par Ray-Ban i næste to år snart, men bare aldrig rigtigt synes at jeg ville betale prisen for dem, så nu hvor jeg er i USA hvor tingene koster væsentligt mindre, har jeg besluttet at det skal være! 

Men hvilke skal jeg vælge?? Hjælp! Haha, planen er at jeg har besluttet mig inden fredag, hvor jeg så kan jagte et særligt godt BLACK FRIDAY tilbud - og score nogle billige Ray-Ban :-)

Efter 3 timer i outlet var vi blevet sultne, og vi satte kursen mod vores lejlighed i Bloomingdale området - ca 1,5 km. fra downtown DC. Vi fandt ud af at en af byens bedste thai-restauranter lå lige rundt om hjørnet, og med ca. 0 grader udenfor, var vi klar på at blive varmet op med lidt krydret mad!

Til aften tog vi til Georgetown - en historisk bydel af Washington, hvor husene er lidt ældre, restauranterne lidt smartere, og butikkerne lidt dyrere. 

Det var desuden første gang vi benyttede os af Uber som er et smart taxa-koncept, som jeg har hørt lige er kommet til København og Aarhus (læs mere her). - Vi endte med at bruge Uber rigtig meget i løbet af weekenden, og wow det er praktisk og billigt!

På det sidste billede er vores lille skandinaviske trup: Johan fra Sverige, Randi fra Norge, Freja fra Danmark, og jeg.

Folk kører som vanvittige i DC, og der er en Starbucks på næsten hvert hjørne. Byen er i øvrigt ikke så stor som jeg havde forventet - der bor "blot" 600.000 i selve DC, og byen føles overskuelig og hyggelig :-) 

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After 17 long hours on the road, we finally arrived in Washington Friday morning around 10AM. 

Since we couldn't check in to our apartment until later in the afternoon, we started at an outlet just outside of the city. 

We spent more than half an hour trying on shoes at Nike, and I didn't even buy any...

We also tried on sunglasses, and here I need your advice!

I've wanted to buy Ray-Ban for almost two years, but never really felt like I wanted to pay the price, so now that I am here in the States where everything is significantly cheaper than home, I've decided it's time!

But which ones should I chose?? HELP! Haha, the plan is that I have to decide before Friday so I can hopefully chase a good BLACK FRIDAY sale and get some really cheap Ray-Bans. 

After three hours at the outlet we were getting hungry and headed towards our apartment in the Bloomingdale area - approximately 1 mile fra downtown DC. We found out that one of DC's best thai restaurants were just around the corner, and since it was below freezing outside, we were ready to get some heat from some spicy food!

At night we went to Georgetown - a historic part of DC where the houses are older, the restaurants fancier, and the stores more expensive.

That was actually the first time we used Uber during the weekend, which is a really clever taxi concept, that I've heard had just made it to both Copenhagen and Aarhus back home (read more here). - We ended up using Uber quite a lot during the weekend, and wow it is so practical and cheap!

The last picture is of our small Scandinavian troop  Johan from Sweden, Randi from Norway, Freja from Denmark, and me.

People drive like crazy in DC, and there is a Starbucks on almost every corner. Also, the city is not as big as I expected - "just" around 600,000 people live in the city itself, and it seems manageable and cozy :-)