Una fiesta sin descanso - Carnaval

                Seeing as I’m still trying to catch up on sleep I can’t even begin to describe Cadiz and Carnaval.  For starters, I would love to return to Cadiz without the madness as it was a BEAUTIFUL city and right along the ocean. 

                However, this was not the first impression I got when I stepped off the bus into a mix of people dressed up by the hundreds loitering the streets.  There were groups of costumes up to 20+ people strong.  Beers and other alcoholic beverages were being carried around the streets in plain sight.  My friend and I were actually staying in a town an hour or so away called Chipiona.  But we got off the bus with some people staying in Cadiz to grab a coffee and some food before heading back on the bus to our final destination.  We soon found out that cafés were not serving coffee but only alcoholic beverages, more or less.  Hence our coffee turned into beers and tapas.  During this time we also saw many face painted people dancing in a drunken state around the streets.  Quite amusing.  

                We arrived in Chipiona during the early evening (to Spaniards, the afternoon).  It was a very cute little town set up along the ocean as well, which we did not see until the following day.  That night we hung out, figured out costumes and chatted about the upcoming events of Carnaval.  The following morning we headed into town to grab food and drinks for that evening as well as some tapas.  We also managed to head to the ocean side where the 3^rd largest lighthouse in Spain is located.   

 Chipiona

Lighthouse!

It was also a breathtaking view and I wanted to spend hours there but time was ticking and we had to make the bus to Cadiz and dress in our costumes.   My friends Ashlee and Emily were Indians, I was a soccer play (of Spain … I thought it might be a bad idea to write “Team America” on my shirt), and then my roommate and a group of his friends were Oompa Loompa’s  (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).   

Soccer Player Julie

 Just 3 of the 12 Oompa Loompa's

We stepped off the bus once again into herds of people dressed in costumes.  We dropped our stuff off at a friend’s place and began the party.  The night was crazy!  So many costumes, awesome atmosphere but lots of streets smelling of urine!  We had a good time dancing the night away … perhaps a little too much as we missed our bus the next morning. 

                Sunday I toured the city trying to find us a way back to Vera.  Eventually we got a bus that evening at 9pm to Granada and a friend was going to take us the following morning back to Vera, where he also worked.  Hence we spent the day wandering around Cadiz again and seeing other costumes and floats. 

 Float

 I liked the Pirate!

 First place float!

  It rained that day so it was pretty gross outside.  We then headed to Granada and arrived at 1:30am.  We wandered across the city and hung out in the freezing cold for the next 7 hours until 8am.  I don’t think I have ever shivered so much as I did then.  Now my body aches from lack of sleep and shivering.

                It was a crazy time and the costumes definitely are amazing and people go all out!  It’s like Mardi Gras (I’m assuming) and Halloween times a billion!  I would love to return to Cadiz and see the city as the sights of the ocean were breathtaking.  Next weekend, I am off to Valencia for Las Fallas, another festival.  

Besito!

Julie