So here we are in 2011! We are beginning a new year which always makes me full of hope for good things to come. Like most people a new year always gives me a nice feeling of renewal. I've never really been a person that partakes in resolutions. I just believe in having a new mindset that comes along with a new year. Besides, I wouldn't stick to resolutions anyway because I don't like being told what to do (even if I am the one doing the telling-ha!).
We enjoyed ringing in the new year in Nürnberg. We spend a lot of time there on the weekends, but we've never actually celebrated a New Year's Eve there. We took the 2:00 pm train to Nürnberg on New Year's Eve. The train ride is almost an hour with one stop to change trains in a nearby town. The train from our little town was late getting to the stop where we had to change, so we had to wait about 30 minutes for the next train. There is a little tiny bar/Italian restaurant in the train station that is run by one of the biggest Greek men that I've ever seen (yes, I know that's weird), and he was nice enough to accommodate us with a beer while we waited. There were 7 of us all together and we arrived in Nürnberg just a little bit later than expected.
We hurried through the slush and snow to check into our hotel, stopped by the Irish pub to drop off a gift, and then headed to the steakhouse for our dinner reservation. We were very excited to try this particular restaurant (a place called Eku Inn) since it has been recommended to us by more than a few people. We were very happy to be out of the cold and snow as we settled into our seats and perused the menu. At this point I started to panic slightly because all I could see were beef, bison, and lamb. (This is where I might need to give you some background...I am extremely meat weird. I really don't know why or even when it even started, but I cannot even think about eating a big slab of beef in the form of a steak. I will however eat a McDonald's cheeseburger or an occasional hamburger from the grill, but only if it's cooked to resemble a hockey puck. I have never claimed that there is any rhyme or reason to my meat weirdness and I don't judge any one else for eating it. I'm not trying to take some social stand or make any point whatsoever with my aversion to meat. I'm just a weirdo, that's all!) Anyway, on the menu, all of the fish choices were covered up with a 'specials' card that was just more meat choices. The waiter was nice enough to inform me that the fish dishes were not an option for the evening. So, I ended up eating meatball soup (I ate the broth and Rick at the meatballs), a very delicious salad with a skewer of grilled shrimp on top, and more garlic bread than any one person should ever eat. It actually turned out to be an excellent meal. Rick had a bison steak that looked nice to me and Rick confirmed that it was absolutely tender and delicious.
After dinner, we headed back out into the snow storm to head to O'Sheas Irish Pub. This is one of our two favorite Irish pubs in Nürnberg. We had a table reserved and we were planning on spending the evening tucked into a fun round table in the back of the pub. We decided however, that since they weren't going to have any live music that we would make our way over to Finnegan's Irish Pub to spend the remainder of the evening. The two pubs are owned by the same people and we always have a welcoming waiter or waitress that we've come to know well through all of our time spent there. We got to Finnegan's and found that our three favorite people were working. John and Niall, who are two cousins from Ireland (and two of the skinniest boys you will ever meet!) and Monja (a fiesty yet wonderful girl from Poland) were there for the night. There was a small band (2 guys) set up in the corner and they started to play around 9:00 pm. We had a wonderful time drinking and dancing the night away!
Midnight came and we all hugged and kissed and kept the celebration going. Monja grabbed me and said "let's go outside-the bar is closed for 5 minutes!" and we ran up the stairs leading to the outside to watch the fireworks display. This was not a city-sponsored fireworks event or anything close to it. Here's a fun little tidbit about Germany-New Year's Eve fireworks are insane! This is the only time that fireworks are legal for the general population and the Germans buy them up like they're lives are depending on it.. At midnight they proceed to shoot them off all in the same place which ends up making any city that you are celebrating in seem like a war zone. This is precisely why I got hit with a bottle rocket last New Year's Eve and caught on fire. Maybe I will tell that story in a future post.
All in all we had a wonderful time and I'm very happy that we were able to ring in the New Year with good friends in a city that has come to feel like home. I'm looking forward to 2011 and all of the opportunities that it may bring.
Happy New Year everyone!
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