New Year's in Germany
Spending New Years in Germany was a trip. First of all, they have fireworks everywhere, but the odd thing being is that the large fireworks are not done by city professionals like they are in the States. Instead, every German lights their own full size fireworks wherever they want. This creates a very interesting atmosphere where one can spin 360 degrees and see fireworks everywhere one looks, creating a panaramic view of colorful lights. Oh, another interesting thing about German fireworks is that they purposely light fireworks towards you. This is freaking insane. The 6 of us were standing underneath the water tower enjoying some champagne and the German couple directly adjacent to us lights and throws a firecracker towards us. I think they eventually felt bad about it because they gave us a few large bottle rockets for our own enjoyment.
Another interesting thing we noted regarding the Germans is their lack of excitement for anything. They didn't count down to New Years, they didn't scream "Happy New Year", they didn't have kazoos, or poppers, or anything. All they did was light fireworks. The only way you could tell that it was midnight was by the increase in frequency of fireworks. That was it. No hoot and howler; no screaming "Frohes neues Jahr"; nothing. "Nope, we'll just light more fireworks. In the meantime, us Americans were in the corner yelling our heads off; counting down from 10 at the top of our lungs; giving each other hugs and toasting to 2009. It was very clear that the Germans were just...stoic.
Anyway, Cindy and I had a wonderful time and experience during the German New Year. It's simply wonderful to have such great friends with whom you can share these moments with.
From left to right: Diana (Fellow American soldier and neighbor of the Reeves), Stephanie, DJ, Jonathan (Stephanie's brother), Cindy, and Nick.
The adjacent Germans lighting off a large bottle rocket.
DJ showing Cindy how to properly light a German bottle rocket.
