From Amsterdam we headed over to Dortmund where my uncle lives and my parents were visiting.  We met up and watched a street orchestra countdown for a few minutes until they reached zero.  At that point nothing happened and the crowd just kind of dispersed.  The lifestyle change of staying with my family for a few days hit me at dinner when instead of my usual bread and cheese I found a nice German meal infant of me.  That coupled with a nice bed at my uncles house made the next few days appear quite luxurious.