Thanksgiving is here. You might think turkey, mashed potatoes, and apple pie are givens. Now, think about Thanksgiving in Spain. Imagine me going to the neighborhood restaurant and ordering up some stuffing and green beans. Most likely, not going to happen. My solution? Bring Thanksgiving to Spain. That's right: The Rileys are coming for Turkey Day.
On Monday afternoon, my parents and one of my little brothers will fly into Seville for the week. Words fail to describe how excited I am to see them.
I have friends who didn't want to "miss" Thanksgiving and cite this as one reason they are going abroad second semester. I happen to have a mother who never considered celebrating the holiday without the whole family and booked tickets for the week back in August.
I do have a little brother that refuses to miss his favorite holiday, however, and has told my mom that she needs to make their Spanish vacation as "Thanksgivingy" as possible, which includes a request for a turkey dinner to make up for all he will be missing back home.
I pointed out that not many people get to go to Europe in their lifetime, let alone to visit their awesome big sister. He wasn't convinced and I know that I'm going to have to seriously impress him with Seville sites to keep his mind off his displeasure.
The real disaster might come from the fact that we've just learned the apartment they've rented for the week doesn't have an oven. It turns out that turkeys don't just cook themselves and my mom has since spent the last few weeks Googling different ways to roast chickens on a stove. The meal will be interesting, to say the least, and I'm sure it won't be anything like what my brother and dad believe they've signed up for.
To make up for ruining their Thanksgiving dreams, I've compiled an extensive amount of activities to keep them busy and entertained during their five-day stay. I've taken a fresh look at a city I love and have rediscovered why I am so consistently impressed by it.
2008 Woodie Awards
