Happy St. Patrick's Day

Is it not St. Patrick's Day on March 11th?? No, of course not! Everyone knows that the Irish National holiday is on March 17th. However, in Chicago, this day is always celebrated on the Saturday before March 17th, unless the date itself falls on a Saturday. And this year it was on March 11th.

Traditionally, since 1962, the Chicago River has been dyed green every year. The dye itself looks more neon yellow (reportedly even orange), but eventually makes the river light up in a vibrant green. Looks toxic, but it's environmentally friendly. The dyeing will probably last 1 and a half weeks.

At first, we admired the coloring procedure from the hotel room and a few minutes later we went down to the river to see the spectacle up close. Music was playing everywhere and party boats, paddlers and other fun water vehicles were cruising on the green river. We walked along the Chicago Riverwalk with the crowd and treated ourselves to a Guinness. By the way, it was even colder than the day before: -7°C. Therefore, movement was the best way not to freeze on the spot and eventually we slowly made our way to Grant Park, like everyone else, to watch one of the parades. We followed the flow of other people dressed in green. Steffi's hands were so cold that we made a stop at a shop to buy green gloves. Not pretty, but practical and fitting for the occasion. There was also time to enjoy a beer in a pub with live music. This detour was worth it. Not just because of the beer and the music... We also had the chance to use the restrooms. And off we went with the crowd.

Eventually we arrived at the parade, but there were already so many spectators that we couldn't see anything at first. We jumped into the crowd and slowly slid forward. It was all very peaceful and without any pushing. There were always people coming back who had seen enough of the parade. Then the next ones moved forward and eventually we were almost at the front.

You shouldn't imagine the parade like the Sambodromo in Rio. Various vehicles decorated in Irish colors passed by, with Irish dancers dancing on them; and large groups of bagpipers walked by. It was interesting to watch, but after 1 hour we had seen enough.

Now it was time to fill our stomachs. We walked through the streets and finally decided on a inconspicuous and seemingly closed restaurant called Belly up. But it was open! (Stefan will report on this separately)

After eating, we literally rolled back towards Grant Park. We walked along the streets where the parade had been. Desolate. No one was there anymore. The park, where thousands of visitors had been bustling... empty. All gone. The cleanup work also seemed to be well advanced. Where has everyone gone? Probably to pubs and the like. Escaping the cold.

After another short detour to The Bean, we went up to the hotel room for a moment. The plan was to go back down and go to the Irish pub. However, we stayed in the room. I (Steffi) was cold to the bone and my body, still plagued by a cold, said: 'go to bed'. After a hot bath, we did just that. It's a shame about the party we had hoped for on this day, but it's better to get healthy for the weeks to come.

Nevertheless, it was an interesting day and we are glad we got to experience this.