Un-Thanksgiving

I had the best Thanksgiving EVER! There weren't any paper turkeys, pilgrim salt and pepper shakers, or schmaltzy Hallmark specials on TV, so it was awesome. Sure, there wasn't a turkey feast or a huge gathering of friends and family, but those things are completely replicable at any time of the year, and are usually better on a non-holiday anyway.

Yesterday was another sunny clear day here in London, so I headed out in the morning to visit the Tower Bridge. It happens to be in most guide books on the "Top Ten" lists of places to visit, and while that distinction usually makes me think twice before visiting something just because I'm "supposed" to, I decided that if I'm going to become a Londonista, I must see it all. The view of the city over the Thames was worth it.


Later in the evening I took advantage of the British Museum's late Thursday opening times, and took the tube up to Bloomsbury. I love late openings at museums. I know I've mentioned this before...but they're quieter, no school or tour groups, and there's a different atmosphere altogether. I only had a few hours there, and some galleries were closed after 6pm, so I went through all the Egyptian halls. I saw some mummies, artifacts from ancient Egyptian life, and of course the Rosetta stone. The Egyptian sculpture rooms were breathtaking. The scale of the sculptures, coupled with the setting of immense rooms and soaring ceilings, makes an impression. I think that what I love about museums is often simply the reverence that the items are displayed with, the visual and sometimes visceral reminder that you are very small, and the world is very big, and more than you can comprehend has happened before you came along and even more will happen after you. It's humbling but oddly comforting.


Next to the Egyptian rooms are the Assyrian rooms, which were nearly empty, and for some reason, almost chilly. The friezes and sculptures were beautiful and moving. It was also almost poignant and sad, as I realized that the site of this ancient culture is now the site of an endless bloody war.

So now it's morning, and the sky is clear and the sun is out, and I must go in search of a "full English" in order to properly start my day. Hope you all had a happy Turkey Day!