Carnaval!

Last weekend, over 700 international students that are studying in Sevilla took buses to a coastal Spanish city called Cadiz to celebrate Carnaval! The whole city is decorated, and there were people everywhere and of every age dressed up in costumes, very similar to Halloween at home...except a much bigger party!

In every plaza, and on every narrow cobblestone street in between the plazas, there are people! Also, in the main plazas, there are stages set up where groups called, "chirigotas." They put on satirical skits about the passing year's events. It isn't customary to buy drinks in bars on Carnaval, they are really crowded...that would mean you have to wait! Everyone brings thier own drinks to the plazas, sets up a kind of camp for awhile with friends, and then moves on to do more people-watching at a different plaza. After all that drinking, the people need food...so of course there is a plaza where many food stands are set up selling traditional American junk food- hot dogs, hamburgers, frenchfries. Also there are a lot of stands that sell traditional Spanish food-mostly sweets-churros con chocolate, mini-donuts, etc. Check out the pictures above, I was dressed up as an "abeja" or bee, my senora had the costume from her daughter!

(Also pictured: the Plaza de America, affectionately called the Plaza de Doves by the locals...you can see why. Note: I took this pictures from a distance, as I really don't like birds!)