New Year's 2011

Silvestr is what Czechs call New Year's Eve. That's because it's the feast day for St. Sylvester (Pope Sylvester I) who died on December 31, 335.

New Year's Eve has never really been my favorite time to go out. There's just way too much drinking. Don't get me wrong...I'm not against having a cocktail and Lord knows I've had a few wild & crazy times in my day. But New Year's always seems like the night when normally, sane people all decide to overdo it at the same time. Plus, this is the night when people who normally don't drink and drive...all of a sudden think that they know how to. That's one good thing about the ČR...they don't play around when it comes to drinking and driving. Here the blood alcohol content (BAC) level is 0.00 whereas in the USA it is 0.08. I think the Czechs have the right idea on this one.

Anyway...so I'm fine to just stay at home on Silvestr. But my friends all thought that was the craziest thing they had ever heard. So I went over to Katka¨s and Robert's place to hang out with friends and play games. It was my first time ever playing Taboo entirely in German.

Robert is German and one of the old customs in Germany is Bleigießen. You melt lead, in a spoon, over a candle. You then pour the molten metal into a bowl of cold water. As soon as it hits the water the metal solidifies into odd shapes. The shape of the metal is supposed to tell one's future.

For example, if it looks like a tree then your abilities will grow. And if it looks like a rock then a lot of work is waiting for you. Mine kind of looks like a guy in a gondola which means that I will have an adventure. So we'll see what this new year brings.

On January 1st there was a fireworks show at Špilberk Castle which I was able to watch from my balcony.