New Years 2009 or, "Better late than never - part 2"

Ryan arrived in Bologna on the 29th, and we decided that instead of traveling for New Year's Eve, we'd stay here in Bologna for an annual celebration in Piazza Maggiore. I wasn't really sure what to expect and looking back on it, I'm not really sure what happened.

I'll let you see for yourselves:



Yes, that is a giant rat statue. Yes, it's on fire. Yes, it's in the middle of a crowd of people. The idea is that the rat represents all of the bad things that happened in 2008, and burning it is the perfect way to start 2009 with a clean slate. It's a nice idea, and a really creepy ritual. It was especially festive when flaming pieces of that rat started flying into the crowd, or when it finally collapsed... and no, I'm not kidding. How could I make this up?

Bologna on New Year's Eve was completely different from the city I've grown used to. While it can be bustling and rowdy at times, I've never seen it like this. Drunken, rowdy crowds, pushing and shoving, teenagers setting off firecrackers in the streets and sidewalks- not to mention the giant, fiery rat monster. It was insane. On several occasions I was actually lifted off the ground by the mob of people in the piazza. My friend Molly joked that judging by the amount of times she was groped in the crowd, she "must have about 100 new Italian boyfriends".

While it was an amazing and certainly one-of-a-kind experience, I think Bologna's NYE party is a little intense for my tastes. I've always preferred a slightly more peaceful setting, and I felt quite nostalgic looking back on my favorite New Year's Eve celebrations: three years ago in Cabo San Lucas with my family or two years ago in Sacramento with Melissa. Regardless of what I was doing, where I was or who I was with, one thing that all of my past New Year's Eve celebrations have in common is that there were no flaming giant rats involved. That was definitely a first!