Bright Lights, Happy Dragon

February 25, 2012

Warm, comforting memories of my grandparents come flooding back when I find myself enveloped in bright, colorful lights. You see, they had a ride, and each year us four Peruzzi kids needed a lift to view all of the wildly decorated Christmas light neighborhoods (at least when compared with our neighborhood where it seemed only sophisticated white lights were acceptable). The grandparents would arrive, scrunch us into their little Honda (not sure how) and take us out to look at the lights for what I am sure was much longer than they intended. Hip Hip Hooray! Come to think of it, they (meaning my grandfather, but not without my grandmother yelling “Bob, that is enough!” in the background) should also be awarded credit for exposing me to firecrackers and other pyrotechnics. So over these last couple months of festivities here in the land of colorful, noisy and questionably legal projectiles I have been reminded of them frequently.

So, to conclude the Chinese New Year festivities, David and I ventured over to the east side of town to check out the Taipei Annual Lantern festival before it was gone. It rocked – lasers shows, bright flashing lights, densely packed crowds and fire crackers abound – not to mention the ingeniously crafted lanterns.

Taipei 101 dressed in blue and looking mysterious

This genie was fresh - he wouldn't grant my wish!

Wheeeeee!

I feel intimidated

Yar! Year of the dragon - he's gonna eat Taipei 101!

Elegant Guanyin

Dragons and fish - the stuff good luck is made of!