A Georgia Girl in Germany

New Year celebrations in Germany are wonderful! And they are most definitely different from those in the states! I don’t think anything will quite compare to the view I had to welcome 2007, from a co-worker’s house overlooking the city of Stuttgart -- when we watched the fireworks displays from above.





This year, we celebrated by having a quiet dinner at home and watching a few movies. MacKenzie wanted to stay up until midnight, but I figured she needed her sleep, especially with how difficult she is to get up in the mornings.

So, I spent 30 minutes watching the fireworks displays over our village (and neighborhood) from beside our kitchen door. Yup, all these photos were taken just outside our house. Fortunately, the kids slept through all the commotion.







This sidewalk is the one beside our house, where the kids walk when heading to the bus stop. Our next-door-neighbor’s house is on the other side of the sidewalk.




These street lights are the same ones that I showed you before ... when Zachary and MacKenzie chased down the eis truck.

I still think it’s pretty amazing how Germans try to outdo each other with their fireworks displays. The villages don’t sponsor or put on the shows themselves, but rather leave it up to individual citizens to provide the light shows. This type of display would never fly in the states -- too much liability involved!



The displays are beautiful and interesting though. And, to top it all off, the local church rang its bells for a good 10 to 15 minutes to welcome in the New Year.

Labels: Germany, Pam's thoughts