Jan 01 2002
New Year
As usual, I managed to sleep through both the arrival of New Year’s Day and the fireworks that herald it. Though come to think of it, I did see the New Year in for both 2000 and 2001. For 2000, my Dad was here. We both thought it was cool that we were seeing not just a whole new century, but a whole new millennium. I realized that all of my grandparents were born two centuries ago!
We made a great dinner that night and then went up on our roof about 11:30. Our roof has a view of the Bay, including the Golden Gate Bridge, and as 1999 changed to 2000, we could see the fireworks of San Francisco, Sausalito, and Oakland. We were of course drinking champagne. Oddly, we were the only ones on our roof, though the roofs of the neighboring buildings were filled with our neighbors, all cheering as we toasted each other. Our neighbors across the street decided to see in the New Year in a decidedly carnal way, putting on a display in their windows that was in its way as spectacular as the fireworks.
Last year, Rufus and I were in beautiful, snowy Edinburgh for Hogmanay, which is what the Scots call New Year. These folks really know how to throw a party, and Hogmanay celebrations go on for days. We arrived on December 30 and were part of a joyful torchlight procession that night through the old town, with bagpipes and drums and guards on horseback. It was both moving and happy.
We had tickets to be in the old town for New Year’s Eve. Crowds were supposed to be limited to 100,000, but there were definitely more people than that. It was clear and starry, and everything was covered with snow. The fireworks were set off from the thousand year old castle at midnight, when everyone popped champagne to toast the new year. Strangers were hugging and kissing each other, and wishing each other a happy new year. I have never been in a bigger, drunker, or happier crowd in my life. No-one was fighting or angry. As the firewoks sparkled overhead, we all linked arms and sang “Auld Lang Syne”. It was one of the best nights of my life.