So how did I spend the eve of 2014? I went to Ferrara, Italy with friends, of
course! My initial impression of the
city is that it is beautiful, though I only saw it at night. I am definitely planning a day trip sometime
in the spring.
We parked a little outside of the city center, so we had a
bit of a walk to all the main activity.
This meant that my outfit choice probably wasn’t the smartest, as it was
also quite cold. I guess you can take
the girl out of America, but you can’t take the American way of dressing out of
the girl. Part of me is quite stubborn
and not willing to give into the Italian way of wearing a ton of clothing at
any one time – even in the summer. Usually
I’m thinking to myself, “It’s just a little cold, people. Try living in the wind-tunnel that is Bowling
Green, Ohio”. But then I get cold, and mentally retract my
previous thoughts. Which is basically
what happened last night.
Anyway, we walked to the center for the aperitivo, and then
a quick dinner of paninis at small restaurant located directly under a castle,
Castello Estense. What can I say, I live
the high-life. After dinner our group
just hung out in the castle’s piazza until midnight for the fireworks
show. Around the corner from where we
were hanging out, there was a concert going on.
We didn’t want to get caught up in the huge crowd, so we just enjoyed
listening to the music and seeing clips on a projection screen that they set up
near us. The best part was that the band
kept playing some classics: Play That
Funky Music, YMCA, and the
unofficial American National Anthem – Don’t
Stop Belivin’. Carlie and I probably
looked liked freaks dancing and singing along.
Luckily our new Italian friends were singing and dancing with us.
Then, with ten seconds left, we had to countdown to the New
Year, but in Italian J. Almost every Italian in the city was wearing
something red. They really take that
tradition seriously. I didn’t have
anything red, so my cherry Chapstick was as good as it was gonna get for
me.
The fireworks were set up on the castle itself, which had a
great effect. They kept faking us out,
though, pretending the fireworks were over and then starting up again two
minutes later. Four times, but
thankfully the finale was worth waiting for.
All in all, it was a good way to bring in the New Year. 2013 was a great time for me: I graduated
college and moved to Italy, but I am looking forward to what this year has to
offer. Even if it scares the living
daylights out of me.
