Mardi Gras to some... Carnaval to me!

So as many of you  know this weekend started the beginning of the French celebration Mardi Gras.  Well for those of us living in a Spanish-speaking country it is called Carnaval!  First to start with my usual quote I have one from Samuel Johnson.

"The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are"

I love this quote because half the time I feel like I am living a dream and that this can't be reality because how did I get this lucky to see all the great things around the world.  I mean how many people get to celebrate Carnaval in Spain?? So after reflecting on this weekend and thinking about my upcoming travels it's nice to re read this quote and reaffirm for myself that for the time being this is my reality and I love it and the changes I'm going through.  I am truly blessed!

So a group of us decided to go to Cadiz to celebrate Carnaval.  Cadiz has one of the largest Carnaval celebrations in Spain hence why we decided to go here.  First I must say thanks to Maria for finding a marvelous apartment for us to stay in. First it overlooked the plaza where everything was happening for Carnaval and second it was a tower... no joke a tower and it was amazing.  We had 3 different balconies and could see almost all of Cadiz since it was the penthouse suite.  So clearly she did a great job! This is what it looks like from the outside from our first balcony! Also I should say that it only sleeps 6 comfortably and we had 10 people sleeping there at one point.  Honestly it wasn't too bad and the best place to stay.  Also the owner lived right below us so we had to creep around a lot but it was totally worth it. 

The first day I arrived the weather was a little overcast as you can see in photos which are all on the picasa photostream at the bottom of the page!  We walked around some despite the weather and one of the girls got to taste raw sea urchin!  Cadiz is on the coast so they have fresh seafood everywhere and the guy told us that someone had gone and gotten these sea urchins off the rocks earlier that day.  It also rained some that night so we didn't really do too much the first night we were there.  We went out in the plaza at our apartment which you can see part of in the picture to the left and saw the crowning of the Carnaval Queen.  I didn't expect to see that.  On the second day we awoke to beautiful weather and started with breakfast on the second balcony!   This is a view from the second balcony and a picture of everyone (minus Melissa) eating breakfast!  What a great way to start the day.  Since some of the group hadn't ever visited Cadiz (I went in 2009 when I came to Spain to study abroad) we decided to do some walking around and discover the city and beach before all the festivities really began.  During the day is more or less the festival for the children so they are all dressed in costumes and throwing confetti and silly string on each other.  It is really cute and you will see some pictures that I tried to take of some kids without looking like a weirdo.  We made it to the beach and the weather was great and we literally sat on the beach all day and talked, laughed, and drank a little tinto de verano (popular wine drink in the summer). It was a perfect and very relaxing day.  It was so hot that I wish I would have had my bathing suit on instead of jeans and a tank top.  Keep in mind we are still in February and if you look on a map it is actually a little further north latitude wise than Hickory, NC so it shouldn't be that much warmer.

That night we celebrated one of the girl's birthdays and dressed up in costumes (pretty much like Halloween except they are really creative here)  and celebrated the way locals do.  First we enjoyed dinner at an Argentinean restaurant (delicious) and then, as is Spanish tradition,  stood outside with wine or beer and watched musical performances by different groups in costumes for Carnaval. It was actually very interesting and fun!  What a great way to experience a traditional Carnaval.  People stayed up all night and when I say all night when I walked to the train station this morning at 7:15 there were still a lot of people still going strong.  The town was a complete mess and they have to do it all over again next weekend.  Cadiz is located in the Andalusia region of Spain which is my favorite area so I am a little biased and must say I love this city and some of the other major cities in the area.  It was a great time with great friends and after seeing some of the parades for Mardi Gras in New Orleans (the weekend before Mardi Gras started)  I think they are both very similar in the way they are celebrated.  Especially since during the week in Cadiz they will also be having large parades.  It was very cultural especially being a Spanish teacher and a great way to experience something similar to Mardi Gras with a different name in a beautiful city in the world.

Also thanks to the wonderful roommate I have started a food blog which I attempt to update everyday that I cook something that she approves of so make sure to start following it too!
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