Welcome 2011

I walked on parts of Goettingen's Wall today. On the way I wandered through a graveyard with the newest stones from the early 1800s. The stones were moss and lichen covered, worn, and snow capped amid leafless trees. Dickensian? Not really as their was a playground across the path and a few adults and kids sledding down the slope from the Wall. It is strange walking on a wall built for fortification starting in the 15th century, give or take a hundred years. In some places the wall is about four stories above the city in others a mere one story. In some places you can see the rock fortification, not just the hillock. There is a linde tree planted in 1765 and held together with metal rods across the inside of the trunk and cables in the branches. The tree is near the Leine (channel/river)and the house Bismark lived in from 1832-33. The house is rock and rises straight from the Leine. It used to be part of the fortifications, a watchtower, definitely not square. There is a church with a youth center next to it. I thought perhaps the youth center was an abandoned building as it is covered in great graffiti. One piece said, Ich bin keine Hippie. Ich bin nur schmutzig. I'm not a hippie, I'm only dirty. Great graffiti colors contrast with the grey of stone and monochromatic winter day.

Last night we had fondue, drank wine, set off fireworks for Julius. Oma Kaeta came out without a jacket to watch and Sandra watched from the upstairs window. Julius was so excited. At midnight I got so excited because it appeared that the entire population of Goettingen set off rockets. I've only seen organized fireworks on a large scale. Here, everyone buys rockets and go into the street and set them off at the stroke of twelve. Lights and colors and explosions everywhere you look. Combined with the champagne, couldn't have been more fun. Oma Kaeta came up to celebrate the beginning of 2011 with us. Later, Ralf and Gabbie came from their friends and we had another tipple. Toppled into bed at 3:00. I can't remember when I have ever had such an adventurous New Years Eve --- since maybe I was 23 or 24..... Bodes well for the coming year.