A picture is worth a thousand words...

Kate and I on the first night

For those of you who have ever been to Mardi Gras in St. Louis or in New Orleans, I'm sure you know how crazy it can be! And it is to these people that I say--you ain't seen nothing yet. Carnaval the pre-lenten celebration in Europe that reminded me of a mixture between Mardi Gras and Halloween...on steroids. It was an absolutely wild weekend, but also an extremely fun time that I will NEVER forget...at least we have the pictures to remind us!

We left early on Friday morning--and after a long 8 hour bus ride, complete with a power hour to finish it off, we arrived in Cadiz. 5 friends and I stayed in an apartment/hotel room with two stories, a kitchen, and a patio overlooking a pretty little pond with fountains and palm trees--we were all so excited and definitely felt like we were on a Mexico or Florida spring break trip! After doing some grocery shopping for the essentials (peanut butter, bread, apples, and more alcohol) we just hung out and then went to a club later that night for free as part of the package deal for the weekend. This "club" was really just in a mall...and while it was less than what we expected, we were glad to have a bit of a casual night to prepare ourselves for the shenanigans ahead.

My roommates ready for some cocktails and sun!

Saturday morning I woke up and went for a run while my friends were sleeping, and returned around 11 to a drink in a plastic cup with a neon straw and my name on it! It was so nice out, so we all walked to the pool area of the resort and soaked up the sun. Anybody walking by would obviously know we were foreigners seeing as how the locals were in hoodies and pants--oh well, I don't care who you are, 65 and sunny is 65 and sunny.

Devin takes a tumble

The view from our hotel room patio...
not too shabby

Around 2 in the afternoon we went back to our room to turn up some music, get all ready in our tu-tu's, wigs, masks, boas, etc. and start the party! Amidst all of our festivities, one of our friends fell into the previously mentioned pretty little pond near our patio, wig, mask, costume and all. But like a trooper, she just shook it off and carried on with her day of acting a fool like the rest of us. Now that we're back, everyone continues to remember this moment as the highlight of the trip--I think that the pictures and memories of that even alone are worth the 140 euro I spent on the entire weekend for transportation, lodging, food, and the party! After that, we got on the bus to Cadiz and were dropped off literally into a sea of thousands and thousands of people, old and young, cross dressers, groups in costumes, drunk people of all ages, and just an all around wild party. It was overwhelming, but also one of the most fun times I've had--not to mention some of the best people watching in the world!

I don't know this person..
but applaud his self-confidence!

A large group of us went to the beach (it was physically impossible to stick together with everyone, but don't worry Dad...the buddy system was in full force!) and had a great time playing in the water and just running around having a good time. After watching the sun set, we went back to the city streets that were just covered with masses of people for parades, fireworks, music, and even a little play that we stumbled upon in a plaza complete with operatic singing. Half of the fun of Carnaval alone is the wide variety and creativity of the costumes of all the different groups. It's also really fun to see people from all over Spain, Europe, and the entire world come together for such a big and crazy festival. We talked to people from all over--and to be frank, I don't think I ever stopped laughing at something.

On the beach! So excited!

Somehow, we managed to make it back to the buses and the hotel with all of our friends alive and intact. I know that my roommates and I have spent so much time since we got back laughing about everything that happened and looking back at some of the pictures that are not only full of color, but also absolutely embarrassing for some, and hysterical for others.

I've been thinking of starting a postcard line...
beaches and tu-tu's

I know this was the trip that my parents were the most worried about--and probably for good reason! I did, however, survive, and had a great time doing it! I am putting up some pictures to attempt to explain the weekend..for those of you that still have questions--you're not the only one...but we've discovered that after a trip like this, some things are just better left unsaid.

Cheers to that!
Rachel

Part of our group of friends on the beach