Happy New Year

Last night we went out on our balcony at midnight to see if we could see any of the fireworks display from down town. We need not have worried. Oh my goodness, I have never seen anything like it before in my life. It felt a bit like we were under siege - there were fireworks going off left, right and centre. People were even lighting them in the middle of the street. I think the regulations here on Germany aren't as strict as in the UK, where you are not allowed to set off fireworks in public, only on private property (not including public firework displays, of course). When the people opposite us starting setting off fireworks pointing in the direction of our house we decided to play it safe and retreat indoors to watch the rest through the glass door. It went on for well over an hour. Today the streets are a mess, with empty fireworks casings and broken glass bottles used as launch pads everywhere.