Bringing in the New Year

We started out our New Years eve with almost no plan. Kristin was studying in the afternoon and I fell asleep attempting to read. After dinner we sat around with a bottle of wine and watched whatever New Years programm was on TV. At 10:30pm we decided we had stalled long enough and started getting ready. We had wanted to walk up the Olympiaberg to view fireworks at midnight. Good plan, but it never happened. We barely made it out of the apt in time to see the first fireworks of 2006. Unlike in the US, everyone has some to send off shooting through the night sky. The black sky had turned a dark orange from all the fireworks.

About 1am we left the apt for the club district in München. It is like a small village of discos and street snacks for when the munchies hit. At the point we had to change trains, the next connection was 40 minutes later. No way were we going to wait. Taxi time. But they were not easy to get. We wanted to share with others if possible, but no one was willing. Some people even pushed us out of the way so that they could get the taxi before us. Another group told the taxi driver that he should take them because they were going further and would give him more money. It was as bad as I imagine NYC to be. We finally got to the discos only to wait in line at one of the more famous ones. They just did not want to let people in and when they did, it was because someone cut the line. So we bailed from that one and ended up paying entrance to 2 of the smaller ones. The cost for both was the same as paying for the bigger one. One of the discos had laser lights and a guy break-dancing on stage. First time I saw that for real. He wasn't bad. As usual it was crowded. Took forever to get a beer. Not the atmosphere I want every night I go out, but it was perfect for New Year's Eve. Time flys when you are in a club and next thing we knew it was 6am. We finally made it out into fresh air half an hour later and took the U-Bahn home. At 7am we had to take a shower to rid ourselves of the ashtray stench. That is one thing about Europe I don't miss. I was so tired at this point that while Kristin was in the shower, I fell asleep on her bed. I woke up just enough to shower and we turned off the lights just as the morning birds started singing outside of the window.

We woke up first to the sound of a 10 bell chorus from the church next door. I fine good morning after 4 hours of sleep. Fell back asleep and went to lunch at 2:30pm. The only thing I accomplished all day was that I bought my Bahncard for this next year. They had a great deal for students that I couldn't pass up. When I showed the guy my MN drivers license he took one look and said, 'what is that?' and laughed. Took a bit of explaining, but he let me order the card.

I think I have to go wash my hair again. I don't think the first wash got all of the smoke smell out. Later.