New year’s Eve and the beginning of 2017

What stupid people would stand in the one spot for four and half hours? I mean literally stand in one spot on a cold winters night in a temperature of about 2 degrees? What two idiots would stand there and become encircled and smothered by a large crowd cheering as the sight before them enfolded! Us!

Now I mentioned in my previous blogs that the Brits like to queue- are quite happy to wait in lines, to simply wait for things to happen,. Even the young children. I have to say patience is not my virtue…and I certainly gave it a work out.

New year’s eve in London meant of course fireworks – taking off from the London Eye and the River Thames. You needed purchased  tickets to see it….and it was amazing.  As the time approached and the gates opened, people just ran to vantage points and stood there. We had chosen the Westminster bridge…looking sideways at the eye but it was away from the immense crowds looking forward. More preferable, believe me! I could not imagine being closeted in within the crowds in the park area facing the London Eye!

We arrived at 7.30am and already the vantage points were taken…..but this really was not a problem, so we took up a stance in the second row along the bridge behind other people leaning on the bridge and we waited.

And waited
And waited
And waited
Did I mention we waited?
What on earth were we doing?
Were we mad?
When in London do what the Londoners do??
We had been doing that….
But this was ridiculous!

Did I mention anywhere it was freezing.?

As we were close to the bridges edge (they closed the bridge and major roads) the icy winds from the water whipped whirling and swirling around our faces as we stood on one foot and then the other foot and then two feet, waiting for this new year’s eve festivity of fireworks to begin.

Then the music began. LOUD music. Loud blaring upbeat not quite our scene music….but we listened. Then you began to move to the music because it was the only way to keep warm, but it was really loud!!!!!

And the crowds began to swell and move in as the night ventured closer to midnight.
Clock watching…from BIG BEN -one hour, two hours, three hours…yes , you guessed it, we are still standing in exactly the same spot ( you were not allowed to bring chairs or rugs to sit on, you  had to stand upright). The crowds were getting noisier and closing in on us being close to the bridges edge. People wanted to be at the front and they jostled gently and succinctly gained a spot closer to the ‘better viewing areas” by gradually moving you out! So, if you moved from your spot, someone took it! So, no , you do not dare move.

We didn’t!
Marc was amazing . As the crowd moved in and the noise and music got louder what did he do? He stood in his spot, book in hand, under the lamplight reading!

Really??
Reading?
Then closing the book, he closed his eyes and chilled out.
I think he even dozed while continuing to stand in his specified spot.
Oh I was so jealous!
As for me, I tried to read my book, but the same paragraph kept jumping out at me with the beat of the music and after reading the same page about 10 times, I gave up! Instead, I moved my legs, flexed my fingers, looked at the water, looked at the lights, talked to people around me who were very nice and chatty I must add, gently prodding  back those annoying people who were trying to take my spot- ‘how dare they, find your own…’.., looking longingly at the porta loos as my bladder contracted which were wayyyyyyyyy over there, knowing I would never return to ‘my spot’ , or to even find my spot….while all the time watching BIG BEN’s hands move sooooooooooooo slowly…….as the hours ticked by.
This is crazy!

Oh yes, but we did it.

Hours of walking in the day, blisters, tired and worn out from previous days of walking plus today ( you have to remember that nothing was close- it was about 35-45mins walking to get to most places, which meant the same time  home again afterwards), then brazenly standing more hours in the crisp clear cold night in one spot on stiff hard concrete to welcome the new year in……..
Really? What were we doing here? Are we mad??

And the hands of BIG BEN chimed and as the last stroke of midnight resonated through the air, the huge fireworks of London display began.
Impressive?
Yes?

Even more impressive was the use of everyone’s mobile phone at the end of the fireworks display when the coordinator on that loud music , asked everyone to turn their torch on, on their mobile phone and wave it in the air as the immense immeasurable crowd sang Auld lang syne in one unified voice!
What an amazing sight. I personally preferred this to the fireworks!

The bright white light of thousands and thousands and thousands of mobile phones beaming through the darkness travelling for miles and miles around the river Thames till your eye could not see any more.
What a wonderful sight to behold. I stood there ( yes in exactly my same spot from four and half hours previously) and I watched, in awestruck amazement at how great this display of unity looked as people cheered and welcomed in the new year!

Was it all worth it?
One simple word
Yes.