Happy 2015 everybody! Ein frohes neues Jahr! I hope everyone had a safe New Year's Eve. Last night I rung in the new year with my buddy Maddie at a club called Himmerich, which is kind of in the middle of nowhere, but that didn't keep us from having a merry ol' time and saying tschüss to 2014 alongside some spirited Germans.
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| Our artsy selfie while dancing the night away to the hits of 2014. |
On my way home from Maddie's this morning, Aachen looked like something out of an apocalypse movie. Only elderly people or people seeming to channel their inner zombie with massively bloodshot eyes were out and about. The streets were really dirty, too. People went crazy with the fireworks and no one bothered to pick up the litter.
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| Please excuse our mess: we're making way for a new year. |
Speaking of pyrotechnics, there were a massive number of small, amateur fireworks set off last night. Even the gentle, little granny next to me on the bus had her Comet Feuerwerk Space Mission 21 ready to rumble. Apparently it's only legal to set fireworks off here on New Year's so people took full advantage of the special privilege. But you gotta watch out. There were elementary school-aged kids in downtown Aachen setting off Catherine Wheels and Chasers in the middle of the sidewalk without any warning to passersby. Chaotic but festive.
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| Sunday morning (left) compared to Thursday's (right). |
But although the streets may have been reminiscent of The Walking Dead, it was absolutely gorgeous out. Right after Christmas, Aachen got a blanketing of snow. Around town the snow ranged from space blanket to down comforter, depth-wise. Anyway, it'd been very cold and snowy, but it melted and warmed up in time to ring in the new year comfortably. The sky was a flawless blue ceiling and as I rode the train back into town, the frosted fields sparkled in the sun. At the moment I feel pretty kaputt from last night, but I'm also hopeful and excited to see what 2015 will throw into the mix.
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| Gleichfalls, Coke! |
And on a final note, shoutout to my host family for giving me an irreplaceably cozy, delicious, and memorable German Christmas experience, and thanks to my family back in the US for making it clear that my role and importance in the Gordon-Nard clan hasn't changed despite the distance. So here's to getting smarter, building our relationships, and experiencing 2015 together, whether or not we're in the same house, city, or country.