New Years for me
was pretty fun, but very cold.  The temperatures outside were about -5
C (22-23 F).  Because of that, I bundled up grabbed both cameras and
then headed out.

Traditionally, the 2 KM (1 mile) area between the Brandenburg gate
and the Victory column are blocked off for the biggest party of the
year.  It gathers upwards of a million people packing into the area
(we’re talking you can’t move – even if you want to) to watch the
fireworks, drink champaigne, and ring in the New Year.

At the halfway point, there’s a ferris wheel set up –

We headed into the crowds where we promptly became stuck in the crowd for about a half hour….

before we finally gave up and pushed our way
back out. Because when you go through security, they send you into a
“chute” and then block off the sections behind the crowds, once you’re
in you’re in. There’s not really a way to get out. This is done to
prevent stampedes and for safety – but the funny thing is once you’re
in – if you want out, you have to climb a fence. So, when we decided to
leave, we had to follow the few trying to get out of the section, climb
on an empty beer keg, over a fence, then back over another empty keg.
Ahh the joy of getting out of the crowd.

Thing is that once we
were out of the crowd, we were stuck in the 1 block radius between the
party and those waiting to get inside the party. Not bad – just
interesting. Why? Because from here, you could see all the spotlights
changing color:

We also could see the lovely Brandenburg Gate and the setup –

But
what was really cool was as we went to leave. As we walked past the
Jewish Holocaust memorial, it was a bit strange. The place was
deserted, surrounded by fences keeping the revellers inside and around
the Brandenburg gate, hopefuls waiting to get into the party – and the
barricade fences around the Embassy. We and the security people were
nearly the only ones, and I took a moment to reflect. It was then that
one of the buildings in the background (where there’s a night club and
apartments) started having fireworks shooting off from the rooftop. It
was beautiful and yet eerie to realize that despite the joy at the
coming new year, there are lots among us who never made it home.

From
there, we headed to Potsdamer Platz and caught the Sbahns over to
Alexanderplatz for dinner. We hung out over by the TV tower, watching
people shoot off their fireworks, and at 11:30 PM, headed over to the
Main Train Station. It’s a straight shot – and we couldn’t have timed
it more perfectly. By the time we went down the stairs, and walked
outside, it was midnight and the celebrations had begun:

We
lucked out – because Jade and I had the best of three worlds – space to
breathe and take photos, a great spot to watch all the fireworks (from
the Gate area and the parking lot) and a fast ride home since we could
see the crowds from the party swarming in our direction. So, from me to
all of you, I wish you have a very save and

And in the end, don’t forget about the CLEAN UP!!