My Shortcut to Europe

On Saturday(5/9), I had the best travel adventure. I was able to visit Finland, the United Kingdom, Romania, Luxembourg, Portugal & Latvia. Now, how in the world did I visit all of these countries on a Saturday afternoon? Here's the skinny. I attended the European Union Embassies' Open House. I went by myself & had a BLAST. The primary reason for this adventure was to experience the Finnish exhibit, "My Helsinki" @ the Embassy of Finland. (Please see this exhibit if you get a chance. It ends May 31st). The Finnish food was amazing. I'm a foodie, so I had no problem tasting the smorgasbord of food they featured. One thing I tried was a very small serving of caviar on herring spread. Very tasty.

After leaving Finland, I headed toward the United Kingdom, where I traded in a plastic bag for a reusable bag that says "British Embassy...Britain's voice in America". The Union Jack is in the middle of the bag. If you know me, you know I love bags. I'm a bag lady and proud of it. Let me tell you...the British Embassy is huge! It's an estate with an English garden on the grounds. AMAZING! The line for food was entirely too long & I had other places to go.

I briefly stopped by the Embassy of Latvia. This stop was brief because it was just a tour of the embassy.(No food available...oh, well). Off to Romania. Let me tell you, the Embassy of Romania had a pretty nice spread. I had Romanian potato & chicken salad, as well as some kind of meatball. Yummy for the tummy.

The Embassy of Luxembourg was beautiful. You could tell that the furniture was antique. The flower arrangements were quite creative, yet simple and colorful. There was a current picture of the ambassador with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. No, there wasn't any food at this stop. I was full from my Romanian stopover anyway.

I've saved the best for last. My visit to Portugal was out of this world! What a beautiful embassy! Let me tell you...I was able to meet the Portuguese Ambassador to the United States. He was the only ambassador personally greeting visitors to his embassy. We spent about 15 minutes in his office learning about Portugal. He stated that it was important to spend time meeting with us, since we had taken time out of our Saturday to learn about his country. And what a beautiful country it is! Now, if you're wondering if there was food. You betcha! I had sweet bread and a sample of port. Both were very good.

During this travel adventure, I met many people, sampled great food & learned many interesting facts. What a way to spend a Saturday. I recommend you make plans to attend next year's event.Cheers! Addi!