¡Carnival!
Trip Start
Sep 17, 2008
1
16
21
Trip End
Jun 04, 2009
Cádiz,
Andalusia,
Spain and Canary Islands
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Carnival was nothing short of chaotic. Our decision to go was competely last minute because we weren't convinced that it was going to be worth or time, effort, and money to travel down south to Càdiz. However, the pictures speak for themselves! There were a lot of laughs that night, unforgetable costumes, and an unbelievably gorgeous he/she in the crowd... Someone, for the sake of their reputation and job opportunity in the future, we shall call her/him Trixie.
Carnival is a celebration that takes place every year in order to kick off lent. That being said you can only imagine how people abuse the opportunity to party the day before they have to give up all unpure pleasures for 40 days.. tobacco, alcohol, sex, and meat... As side from Carnival in Rio de Janero in Brazil, Càdiz holds the second largest Carnival party in the world!
Tyler and I got a hold of some friends on Thursday night who live outside of Càdiz and reserved a place on their floor for the night. After school on Friday we found a local China Shop (as we like to call them.. basically a dollar store) where the perfect costume was waiting for me - a complete chicken get-up from head to toe. How could I possible turn it down?? It was well worth the €15.50 we paid for it. The options were more limited for Tyler as he wasn't willing to splurge on another outfit. Therefore, a beautiful blond wig and a trip through my closet and makeup bag was all that he had to work with... once again, the pictures speak for themselves.
Trixie and I were thoroughly entertained starting from the moment we caught the train in Còrdoba, on Saturday morning, until the the moment we returned, last Sunday night. The train was packed with groups of people dressed as fairys, hippies, pirates, and whatever else you can imagine. A group a pirates boarded the train with a loaded a grocery cart full of drinks. Apparently there are no laws against drinking while riding public transportation. Furthermore, there is no shame..
We spent Saturday afternoon walking the boardwalk, a giant chicken and her "chic," and met up with some friends for lunch. At first we stopped to take pictures with every other chicken and chic that we saw but as the night moved on more and more of us emmerged. Come to find out in 2007 after the bird flu epidemic the chicken suit was the most popular costume at Carnival.. turns out I just had a left over costume.. Oh well, it felt unique to me, and Tyler and I recived more attention that day than in all of the days of our lives combined!!
As the sun went down the people came out. I have never seen so many people in my life. We didnt partake in the excessive amounts of drinking, shouting and singing, but we were able to do enough people watching to last us a lifetime. We lost track of our friends in the giant mess of people and headed home a little before 1 am. As some people would say, the party was just getting started, but I had seen enough. There were cowboys and sheep climbing up historical monuments, marichi band members doubled over puking in the fountains, and colored pencils doing circles in the street... And to make matters worse, even though we had been forewarned, there were literally rivers of urine running down the streets. No, I am not kidding. There were lines of characters waiting to use one the the dozen port-o-potties that were scattered throughout the city.. but why wait in line when there is a perfectly suitable building or fire hydrant right next to the toilet?? I didnt intend to be so graphic but it was all part of the experience. This is the point where you make a giant "O" over your head to indicate that I am OVERSHARING; )
Our friend Emily stumbled in about 8:45 on Sunday morning. She shared some very unpleasant stories with us which made us happy with our decision to return home early. As she was going to bed we got up and headed back into town to enjoy Sunday's festivities. There are typically groups of men who perform in the street, singing and dancing, and a huge parade. Although we did not see the parade we were glad we went back. It was a beautiful sunny day and there were already people laying out on the beach.. in February! Southern Spain is a magical place!
As we got on the train to return home we saw one of the most pitiful/hillarious sights we have ever seen. Two grown men, dressed like oversized m 'n m's. One green, one blue. They were sitting on a bench at the train station, half dead. They had clearly not slept all night and it was the middle of the afternoon on Sunday. They had they're giant foam heads tucked under their arms and their green and blue face paint had been sweated and smuged off in every different direction.. they were the saddest m 'n m's in the world. I wish I had taken a picture or at least given them a hug to let them know that life could only improve for them, but seriously, anytime I need a good laugh I just think of those two men. Their wives must be proud...
