Thursday, January 6, 2011

SILVESTER, COLOGNE AND A TON OF EXPLOSIVES

NYE is a big deal around these parts. In German they call it “Silvester” (named after a saint of yore). For a loosely accurate history, I’ll offer this: Back in the day when Germanic tribes provided the logic and guidance for how the world works, the Winter Solstice was marked over a few days – in which the world was at its darkest. Believing that the sun was a big wheel of fire that rolled through the sky, there was a fear that perhaps the increasing hours of darkness meant that it may not roll back again, (This darkness part hasn’t changed, with sunrise at 830am and sunset at 430pm, you kind of understand their thinking) SO – the tradition was that in the days of darkness, one must chase out the evil spirits and entice the sun back. The former was done with smoke and noise, the latter with big fires. These traditions have evolved into a HECK of a lot of fireworks being shot off on New Year’s eve. It puts our 4th of July to shame.

Fireworks are illegal to purchase here – except for in the days leading up to Silvester – and in those days – you can get them EVERYWHERE. We saw some footage on the local news here which showed the lines of folks waiting to buy them at a warehouse. There were limits to what each individual could purchase – the “small box”, of which you could buy five, was about as big as a kitchen sink. The “large box” was as big as a coffee table, limit three per customer. People were carrying boxes back to their cars with HANDCARTS. Add freezing cold weather, the fact that you basically sit and drink until midnight, and the FAR less litigious society of Germany and the result looks something like this amateur video (shot on NYE this year from the center of downtown Stuttgart.) It’s long, you only need a few seconds to see what I mean!

It worked out that Hubz and I had planned to meet a friend and her family to explore Cologne on New Year’s Eve. They are stationed in Brussels, so Cologne is about a halfway point that allowed us to meet for a day trip. The plan was to spend the day exploring, have dinner and then part ways, with them heading back home (they have young kiddos) and us to spend the night in Cologne and return the next day (thank you Marriott points). Well, it worked out that they couldn’t make it, but with train tickets and sleeping room booked, we decided to venture forth just the two of us.

Cologne is famous for its cathedral – the biggest in Northern Europe – which holds as its relics, the remains of the three Magi (no kidding!). Rick Steves designates it as a “must see”, but also indicates that it’s a good city for a one day trip. We were spending a sum total of 24 hours there, so it seemed like a good fit. Along with the cathedral, Cologne has a fairly impressive collection of museums, among them is a chocolate museum….how can one go wrong? Here’s how – one can go on New Year’s Eve. A national holiday. A day when everything but churches and restaurants are closed.

We did spend an hour or so exploring the cathedral. It was impressive and beautiful and very, very cold inside (imagine the cost to heat that place!). We had lunch (excellent soup in excellent soup weather!) and sampled the local brew. We followed the points of interest that Rick Steves outlined in his book and noted each CLOSED museum along the route. We even pressed our noses up against the doors of the chocolate museum - no luck. What was left to do but find a pub and drink?!?

That’s exactly what we did! Hubz was thrilled to find an Irish pub that served his favorite ale (Kilkenny) and gleefully shared the experience with me. We chatted a bit with other tourists gathered there, discussed our highs and lows of 2010, and participated in some general merry making inside the warm (and smoky!) little pub. A few beers later, it was only 4 pm but we were ….um….at a good stopping point, and bereft of sites to experience – so back to the hotel we went, where room service and an in-room movie was just what the doctor ordered!

The midnight fireworks were impressive – both professional and amateur (there were far more of the latter than the former). We wondered about the form of the revelry back home in Stuttgart and shared a kiss for luck. I hope that each of you welcomed the new year with people that you love, as we did, and that 2011 brings you unimagined joy and happiness!

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