San Silvestro

Instead of preparing another special dinner, this year we have thought to go out instead of staying home. Two days ago we have visited some restaurants in our olittle town to have an idea of the menu and the cost for the last of the year dinner. Many places have unaffordable high crazy prices even if the menus seems to be yummy and elegant. The local chines restaurant where we often go proposes an italian menu with just some little chinese things at a lower reasonable price so yesterday we have decided to make a reservation for us and for granny. Momichan is enthusiastic, she loves to go restaurant and she loves this restaurant, also she likes whenever there is granny with us so when we tell her she starts to jump everywhere inside home ! :) For the occasion she weares the new green stripe pullower (see foto) granny has given her as present for Christmas.

The menu includes champagne and panettone and also fireworks so it means we have to stay until midnight. After lunch today Momichan takes her usual nap but we let her sleep until late so that she will not be tired this evening, reservation in the restauurant is around 21.30 PM in this way it will be easier also for a small kid like Momichan to sit at the table for long time anyway I prepare her Hello Kitty rucksack (present from my sister for X'Mas) with some little story books, a colouring album and some coloured pencils.
Just after we have sit at the table and taken off the jackets, the waiter takes us water and the starts, a dish composed by a mix of smoked salmon sandwich, chinese potato rolls, a big shrimp and shells. I do not like the shells so I give to mum because she is fond of, she gives me the two chinese potato rolls because they are sweet and she doesn't like sweet potatoes. The first dishes are two: rice cooked with onions, smoked cheese and mushrooms, garganelli pasta with zucchini and shrimps. Rice is really good but garganelli pasta should have been better if just would have cooked with a little less salt.

The main course is also composed by two different choices one is fish and the other meat: seabass with herbs and veggies, shrimps cooked chinese style. The second dish is a choice of grilled meat, veal, chicken and lamb (very yummy I must say). Between one dish an the other is served some salad.
Little by little the restaurant is empting, the people who stay are the ones arrived after nine o'clock for the fireworks, families with small children little by little go away. In the middle of the ones who stay there are also our neighbours and a nother lady we often meet at our preferred coffee shop (she lives in the apartments just over the restaurant). At 11.30 we have finished eating, music is tuned up and the little chines kids sons and daughters of the owner of t erestaurant start to dance, Momichan join them and a waiter start to make baby dance with them, Momichan amuses a lot and she is really good in moving same way according to the music.

Other waiters take away the last dirty dishes and take champagne and special flute while some others outside take the fireworks and put on the ground ready to be lighted. On tv there is a program taking the countdown, there are singers and dancers and some telling jokes. On each table is taken fruits (mandarins), chokolates and peanuts.
Momichan dances while outside waiters are running to dispose other fireworks and the tv makes the final countdown: just three minutes and 2011 will be finished !!! Sampei opens the champaing bottle and purs it in the glasses, everybody counts down ... 6...5...4...3...2...1...0 ! HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!
Outside the fireworks starts, Momichan is enchanted, everybody in the restaurant run to the windows to see better outside, some go outside, music goes on, panettone slices is taken to tables and everybody cheeres. After a little Sampei goes to pay and when the fireworks are finished we start to go home too, we still have some fireworks we had bought three weeks ago when we still thought to make dinner at home and Momichan wants to see.

Granny is still with us, we will take her home afterwards.
At home there is nobody around, we are in our courtyard lighting the fireworks and Momichan is happy and jumps. Sky is clear and we can see Orion and many stars and constellation. After a few minutes also our neighbours come home and take the lift to go up, the rest of the building is dark, maybe many families are already in bed, some others are still outside.
I finish the fireworks, while Momichan and I go up inside home, Sampei takes granny home, when he comes back Momichan is already with her pijama in her bed and holds her milk bottle in her tiny hands.

She has amused so much this evening, so many new enchanting things for her, HAPPY NEW YEAR Momichan :)