Arrival..
From the time we landed at Heathrow Airport, in early November, our feet barely touched the ground. My brother and my gorgeous sister in law picked us up from the airport (no hassles, plain sailing all the way thank goodness!) Headed straight for Herts and home… and… any jet lag quickly disappeared, as we approached our house which was certainly a sight for sore eyes glistening in the mild morning sunlight. Huge Christmas wreath on the front door, Christmas angels, silver stars and pots of cyclamen everywhere. In the hallway, the Christmas tree waiting to be decorated. All hands on deck for this (especially the children)!
What a welcome, one would think we’d been away for decades and not just one year! Our beautiful daughter in law had the most delightful lunch ready, a roaring fire and my favourite red tartan sofa blanket on my favourite chair… so thoughtful, oh, how I love her!
Our house was just as we left it, the children have certainly looked after things. The garden looked wonderful. Lots of winter blooms to make a pretty and welcoming show for the holidays! The children have keys to the house and can stay whenever they wish whether we are there or not. We are abroad frequently so it’s nice to know our home and gardens are so well cared for in our absence. So much catching up done in the next few days with friends and neighbours we have known for years in Herts. Got to have the latest gossip lol and my goodness, there was a lot!
Thanksgiving…
On the 24th it was off to celebrate Thanksgiving with our charming expat American friends at The Goring Hotel, London, and
their friends, goodness, it turned into quite a party! …glorious food, from the Roast Norfolk turkey down to the Spiced pumpkin pie with maple syrup cream…utterly divine! I wish Brits celebrated Thanksgiving as a holiday in the UK. I love it and I also love the chosen hotel for the festivities…methinks Americans know how to celebrate in style!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZDDCqfO3IU
You may be wondering about the pony. Well Teddy the Shetland pony owned by Alice and Molly Goring, has156K followers on Instagram! The Goring is now the only five-star luxury hotel in London that is owned and run by the family that built it and Teddy is considered a “family member” …how adorable!
Highclere Castle…
Next day… off to Hampshire to visit a great aunt who cannot travel. While there, it was also a lovely opportunity to indulge in Champagne, canapes and carols at Highclere Castle which some may recognise as Downtown Abbey. Our lovely hostess, Lady Fiona Carnarvon was there to greet everyone and ensure we all had a great time ...all pre-booked by my darling sister in law!
Being Egyptian, my husband will always jump at the chance to see the Egyptian Exhibition at the Castle. A few of the guests found out he hailed from Alexandria, so they walked all over me (lol), to get to him for a chat about the Catacombs of Kom el-Shuqqafa…and he loved it!!
Hatfield…
My husband’s annual company dinner was held at Hatfield House, Hertfordshire just a few minutes from our home. Although the House itself will not be open until Spring 2023 for tourists…the party nights at this 15th century Palace are a lot of fun…guests were asked to dress in period costumes and they did us proud! Not everyone got it right though. One very sweet lady came as Nell Gwynne when Nell was a barmaid. Who cares? Her very pretty décolletage more than made up for it
!
So much history attached to Hatfield House and the Palace was decorated beautifully for Christmas
. The Old Palace at Hatfield was one of the most significant places in the life of Queen Elizabeth 1. The Queen spent much of her childhood at the Old Palace and according to history, it was one of her favourite residences.
Hatfield House, has served as a regular hang out for coffee mornings for my friends and I whenever I’m in the UK, being in such close proximity to our home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaalHDbZkCI
Hanukkah…
An added delight was being able to observe Hanukkah with Jewish relatives and friends in London. Watching my sister in law lighting the menorah was just a highlight for me …it was a bit difficult trying not to pig out on latkes and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) oh how I tried and failed ..great favourites of mine and of course, it was all her fault…she is such a darn wonderful cook!
Christmas Festivities…
Then on to Christmas, my personal favourite time of the year!
Our local church was beautifully decorated for Christmas Eve and most of the adults attended a traditional mass
. Our daughter sang O Holy Night and I cried all the way through! Her voice always does this to me, so beautiful!
Of course… the noisy, happy, fun filled Christmas Day celebration with most of my siblings and their children.. our children and grandchildren in London was an absolute joy. Happy chaos reigned supreme…children everywhere, all trying to speak at the same time, so much they deemed necessary that I should know, and, right now was the time to do it…and me…loving every minute of it!!
Glad, to say no turkey was served (had my fill at Thanksgiving Dinner!)…instead, poached salmon and roast duck were the stars of the day! Of course, if anyone had room left, there were the traditional Christmas pudding, mince pies and Christmas cake. The best treat, I was not allowed to do anything, so I had the task of entertaining the children and being entertained by them! Best chore in the world!
Vienna…
Time to leave London and wing our way to Vienna, the City of Dreams. Happy to say, no dramas with our luggage…everything arrived safe and sound. In Vienna we wined, dined, danced and sang in the New Year with four of our very best friends at the Silvester Gala held at the famous Vienna City Hall Ballroom.
This ball is usually celebrated at the Hofburg Palace which we attended four years ago but was cancelled for 2022. Nevertheless, the City Hall venue was magical as you can see from this link for the 2023 event (they are already taking bookings and the VIP tables are sold out! We booked over a year ago:
https://silvestergala.com/en/
My husband asked me to marry him in Vienna. We had just attended a concert at the Kursalon, when he suddenly popped the question with the golden statue of Johann Strauss in Stadtpark as witness! This city will always hold special memories for me, so romantic retracing our steps…sigh!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz2sZftPgEI
Enjoyed eine kleine Nachtmusik with Mozart at the Golden Hall of the Musikverein, Vienna. So fortunate to get tickets for this event. It’s always a great favourite with the tourists as the orchestra members are dressed in traditional attire of the Baroque era.
A couple more days eating our way around Vienna…more tantalizing coffee, more delectable pastries, the best wiener schnitzel in the world and of course…a final visit to Café Demel for a coffee Melange and a slice of sacher torte…
Cafe Demel, Vienna's famed coffeehouse
Then it was time for tearful goodbyes and happy to say, I did not have to buy an extra seat on the plane despite our gastronomic indulgences!
Recharge…
Super happy… now, however…it’s time for some Zazen to recharge and refresh!
Breathe in…breathe out…get into the lotus position and zen out…Ommm…Ommm..
“In zazen, leave your front door and your back door open. Let thoughts come and go. Just don't serve them tea.”
― Shunryu Suzuki
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE_XVl7fwBQ
In keeping with my personal privacy rule..sorry folks, no personal pictures posted… not that anyone would be interested anyway lol!!
The youtube videos (some a bit dated) are just an indication what these places look like for anyone who has not already visited them and are remotely interested.
