Good Afternoon to you,
.... and what an amazing time we had.
We waited only a few minutes, before our taxi arrived. The suitcases were loaded into the back of the car then George walked around the car to get into, what he thought, was the passenger side, only to discover, he had sat himself in the drivers seat by mistake. The driver laughed and asked why he had sat in the drivers seat. George explained that we lived in England and told the driver our steering wheels were on the opposite side of the car and without thinking, he automatically went to, what he thought, was the passenger's seat. Once we stopped laughing and George had removed himself from the drivers seat, we headed home to Natasha's warm apartment.
Chicago, Chicago, that toddlin' town,
Chicago, Chicago, I will show you around.
~ Fred Fisher
Yes, that is where I have been for our Christmas holidays.... Chicago. We spent the most wonderful 3 weeks with Natasha and her lovely husband.
We arrived at O'Hare International Airport, a little tired, but ever so excited. When we saw Natasha, we hugged and cried and hugged, it was so lovely seeing her again.
We made our way to the exit and when the doors opened the cold air hit us. Natasha had warned us that Chicago was very cold, during winter time, but nothing prepared me for how cold it actually was. George however, felt more confident about dealing with the cold temperature, because years ago, he had been winter climbing in Norway, but even the cold of Norway did not prepare him for the windy city. Having said that, we soon adjusted, as we had very warm coats, scarves, gloves and hats. George took to wearing ear muffs, as he noticed many men wore them, to keep their ears warm. They have been transported back to Newcastle where he wears them on a daily basis.
We waited only a few minutes, before our taxi arrived. The suitcases were loaded into the back of the car then George walked around the car to get into, what he thought, was the passenger side, only to discover, he had sat himself in the drivers seat by mistake. The driver laughed and asked why he had sat in the drivers seat. George explained that we lived in England and told the driver our steering wheels were on the opposite side of the car and without thinking, he automatically went to, what he thought, was the passenger's seat. Once we stopped laughing and George had removed himself from the drivers seat, we headed home to Natasha's warm apartment.
I have so much to tell you, but I think the first thing I will say, is,
if you get the opportunity to see the musical Hamilton, then do take it. When Kim, Natasha's lovely friend, who has since become our friend as well, heard that George and I were visiting Natasha, she decided to book a flight to Chicago to see us. We spent a lovely few days with her.... and you'll never guess what she did, she only bought Natasha and I tickets to see the musical Hamilton. I had heard that this was the 'must see' musical of the moment, but never imagined I would see it in Chicago, so you can imagine my surprise when Natasha told me about our wonderful Christmas treat. I was overwhelmed by Kim's kindness. The three of us spent a wonderful evening together, catching up with each others news.
To be honest, I was not sure what to expect from the musical, because I could not see how the 738 page book,
would translate into a musical, but with the talent of Lin-Manuel Miranda, the book has been transformed into a must see musical. I had started to read the book Alexander Hamilton, here at home, but had only managed the first 60 pages, so I decided to take it with me to Chicago, thinking I could read more pages before I went to see the musical Hamilton, but with the excitement of being in Chicago and seeing Natasha and her husband, I never read a page. So as I mentioned, I really, had no idea what to expect from the musical.
.... but the reviews are right, it was amazing. All the actors were so talented. Alexander Hamilton was played by Miguel Cervantes and he was brilliant. Whilst all the cast were wonderful, I have to say King George played by Alexander Gemignani was superb.
On the Friday before Christmas Day, we went to the Chicago Christingle Market. I was so looking forward to the market and I was not disappointed.
.... we had a wonderful time,
we drank mulled wine, from these small 2016 commemorative steins. These are now safely packed away, ready to be brought out and enjoyed next Christmas.
We saw some exquisite hand carved German Christmas decorations, and I drew a gasp of breath when I saw,
this stunning Christmas windmill. You see years ago, I had discovered the exact Christmas windmill at a car boot sale, for the princely sum of £5. I used it Christmas after Christmas and I loved it, but you know how it is, when you move, some things just have to go and this is one of the items I gave away. Can you see the price tag, $416.95.... I couldn't believe it. Both Natasha and I were bowled over by the price, not that the intricate Christmas windmill wasn't worth the money, because it certainly was, but by the fact that I had given away such an expensive item. I just have to comfort myself with the fact that each Christmas, the person who now owns my beautiful windmill, is having as much pleasure from it, as I did.
.... oh yes, and I had my very first pretzel at the Christingle Market. Being the sweet tooth I am, I opted for a cheesecake filling, where as George, chose a pretzel filled with feta cheese and spinach. We halved our pretzels and shared with each other. Feta and cheese as the main course, which was as delicious, and the cheesecake pretzel for dessert, followed by a warming drink of mulled wine.
Although the Christingle Market was very crowded, everyone was patient and so friendly.
Although the Christingle Market was very crowded, everyone was patient and so friendly.
I have to tell you, there was a lot of food eaten during our stay in Chicago. We visited so many wonderful restaurants, that I decided to look up the number of restaurants in Chicago.... I guessed maybe a thousand, and I thought I was over estimating, but no, there are over 8,000 restaurants in Chicago.... amazing.
Christmas Eve, was very special, as we went to
The Goodman Theatre to see 'A Christmas Carol'.
Do you have favourite Christmas films, which you love to watch. I certainly do, and one such film, which I never tire of, is the 1951 film, 'A Christmas Carol' with Alistair Sim playing the part of Ebeneezer Scrooge. It seems that people in Chicago also love 'A Christmas Carol', because the Goodman Theatre have been producing the classic Charles Dickens story for over 40 years.
After the theatre, we were peckish, so Natasha suggested we went for a meal at Eataly. You may know of Mario Batali, but he has not reached my radar, until that is, Christmas Eve.
The place was bustling, there were so many people down stairs, shopping, whilst we went up stairs to eat. There are so many different areas to eat, but tables cannot be booked at Eataly, it is a first come, first served basis, which can make finding a table quite difficult.... yes the restaurant is that popular. We walked around and around, in the hope that someone was ready to leave their table. We were just about to give up and look for another restaurant, when George noticed 4 ladies, who looked like they were ready to move. Now I wouldn't have asked, but George did, and we were so pleased to discover they had enjoyed their meal and were ready to leave. We sat ourselves at the table, which unfortunately for me, was a high table and I had to negotiate myself onto a high stool. This was fine for everyone, but me, because I am only 5ft 2inches, so with George's help, I managed to, somewhat inelegantly, seat myself on the stool. I then discovered there was no where to rest my feet, so my legs were left dangling, but I have to say, that did not stop me enjoying the food, because the food was exquisite. We had antipasti to start and the bread which accompanied the very special olive oil was wonderful. We followed the antipasti with the most delicious pizza.... and yes there was a knife and fork available.... which was perfect for me, because you know how I love to use a knife and fork rather than my fingers.
Whilst at Eataly, I discovered a new drink.... a Mimosa. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am a lover of champagne, I do not drink a lot of alcohol, but champagne, I will never pass up. When I looked up the recipe, it seems that a Mimosa is made with champagne and orange juice, which I know as a Bucks Fizz. The Mimosa I was offered, was made with champagne and peach snaps.... maybe it is not authentic, I really don't know, but I loved the subtle peach flavour.
I have to tell you there is so much more I have to share with you, but I think I had better stop for now and tell you more next week. Can you feel the excitement in my words.... I do hope so, because I had such a wonderful time.
I have more friends and places to share with you, but for now, I think I will close and write those immortal words, from those old Saturday morning movies,
.... to be continued next week.
So take care and I will see you next week.
This week I will be joining,
.... to be continued next week.
So take care and I will see you next week.
This week I will be joining,
As always,
