A ver...
Carnaval was incredible! And there is no way I can properly describe it via blog - you're just gonna have to book a flight for next year to see for yourself (I myself am planning on experiencing a Brazilian Carnaval next year, Godwilling).
Starting the festivities in Vigo- it was really just a weekend like any other at first, just with more glitter and costumes. We scoured the various chinos (corner shops that carry literally everything... and they're always, without exception, run by Chinamen) around the city to find some sort of disfraz (costume). We had with our group various angels, a Zorro, a giant cookie, a pirate, a cowboy, some matchsticks, etc etc... So we got ourselves dressed up and looking real nice and then we hit up the town. But like I said, it was a lot like any other weekend in Vigo, just with more cross-dressers, dinosaurs, Jokers, nurses, etc.
One of our awesome Spanish friends Ana took us to her hometown near Santiago de Compostela. There wasn't much of a Carnaval scene there, but we got to take a good look around the city in any case.
This is another beautiful city in Galicia and a really religiously important one. I might have to do the migration one day... I'll start packing my hiking gear. So we spend the day chilling in this giant cathedral, playing on playgrounds, climbing on statues, exploring watermills, etc. And then we take the night off to rest up for the coming night...
We hop on the train the next morning to head for Ourense, home of the most insane Carnaval known to man (or at least to this man). Of course, we do the usual touristy stuff first - taking pictures on bridges, buying churros from the street vendors, getting made fun of by some super-stoned local, and so on. And then night falls....
Upon disfrazarnos, we get glitter ALL OVER the place. But there we are, dressed to the nines, I guess you could say, and we head to the restaurant, literally next-door. And we feast and sing and be merry. Then the night truly begins. By the time we leave the restaurant (and we're eating on Spanish time, so it's like 11.00, midnight now. Get it right, America), the streets are already filled with costumed Spaniards. We file our way to our first concert of the night. This plaza is filled with people- dancing and drinking and just having the best time!! Some of my favorite memories from this portion of the night: 1) Watching my friend, dressed as a black angel, chasing around a bunch of children dressed as cops. 2) Seeing another of my Spanish friends, dressed as a giant cookie, peeing on a church. Beautiful.
By the time this first concert's over, I've already made friends with a Mario, a Scotsman, and a monk, and they show me around the festivities a bit more. After a bit of exploring, we find the second concert of the night, and like magic, we run into a couple of my friends again (the child-chasing angel and the other angel who tried to get a short cross-dresser to make out with me earlier...). I end up hanging out with the Scotsman for awhile, and we started talking to a clown. After a long conversation (in Spanish), we finally introduce ourselves to her. And upon learning that I'm from the States, she asks, "¿Hablas español?" (Seriously, lady, where have you been?) But I just go with it and say of course!! She goes on to ask me to say something in Spanish.... Really?? But I just said What do you want me to say?, and I just blew this clown's mind... at least I got a balloon out of it.
More music and dancing. After about 6 or so (oh yeah, AM folks), the rest of my original group decided they needed to go home (weak). So I found some new pals and starting checking out some more parties and concerts. At one of the parties, I happened to run into one of my ISEP friends- completely by chance. He was a matchstick. Also, a really tall, Swedish dinosaur girl came up to me, but immediately lost interest when I told her "no soy sueco..." If I had a euro for every time they think I'm Swedish......
In any case - I barely manage to make it home before the sun comes up. But the joke's on me- because we have to check out of the hostel by 11.
And it's not over yet!!! We make it back to Vigo for the last night of Carnaval. Some of the other internationals found me on the streets and took me to a concert that was going on downtown. It was great!! We ran into some carrots, one of which informed us: "Soy una zanahoria borracha!" Then they set up a few huge dolls of some not-so-popular political figures up to burn.
I love this place.
I did miss the Death of Carnaval party, but I'll be sure to make it next year.
So back to the "real world." My Portuguese professor informs me the day before: Oh hey, we're going on a trip to Portugal tomorrow for class! Like it's no big deal. So we head on down to the Spanish-Portuguese border to check out the walled city of Valença.
Then, just yesterday, we hopped on a boat to go to Baiona, where they were having their annual Medieval Festival. Yeah, that happens here too....but it was so much fun!!!
Spanish Gnomes:
Some more little gifts these guys have left me over the past few weeks:
1- Subscription to dating service (deleted immediately)
2- Phone numbers (To text or not to text...)
3- A messenger address (I'm gonna have to download that, I guess)
Café Count:
Well, now that this is happening, I think I'm going to have to find some sort of format to lay out all of the data... but for now:
Since last we talked (approximately 17 days ago) up until this exact moment (I just now finished another double at the café down the street), I have taken in 10 cups of single shots of coffee and a whopping 49 doubles. That's 108 shots of coffee, folks. Now my heart rate's averaging something around 185 beats per minute and it's great.
The Ropa Española Initiative (REI):
A special this time in honor of Carnaval: it's the Máscara Veneciana
Picked up at a local chino, this guy was my costume for Carnaval 2012. It might look a little strange next to a bear and a cowboy, but I quite enjoyed my weekend as a veneciano. And I got to switch it up a bit with the neckwear - appearing with the bowtie, a skinny tie, and finally with a nice sequined tie (not pictured). Not to mention the copious amounts of glitter I poured on myself (and consequently, and body who happened to walk in a 5 foot diameter to me).
I chose to go a little simple this year (but c'mon - I love these masks... they're so classy!!), but I'll go full-out next year, I promise!
Alright- that's all for now, guys. Hasta la próxima
-Besos-
Starting the festivities in Vigo- it was really just a weekend like any other at first, just with more glitter and costumes. We scoured the various chinos (corner shops that carry literally everything... and they're always, without exception, run by Chinamen) around the city to find some sort of disfraz (costume). We had with our group various angels, a Zorro, a giant cookie, a pirate, a cowboy, some matchsticks, etc etc... So we got ourselves dressed up and looking real nice and then we hit up the town. But like I said, it was a lot like any other weekend in Vigo, just with more cross-dressers, dinosaurs, Jokers, nurses, etc.
 |
| Map of Galicia, for your reference. |
This is another beautiful city in Galicia and a really religiously important one. I might have to do the migration one day... I'll start packing my hiking gear. So we spend the day chilling in this giant cathedral, playing on playgrounds, climbing on statues, exploring watermills, etc. And then we take the night off to rest up for the coming night...
We hop on the train the next morning to head for Ourense, home of the most insane Carnaval known to man (or at least to this man). Of course, we do the usual touristy stuff first - taking pictures on bridges, buying churros from the street vendors, getting made fun of by some super-stoned local, and so on. And then night falls....
Upon disfrazarnos, we get glitter ALL OVER the place. But there we are, dressed to the nines, I guess you could say, and we head to the restaurant, literally next-door. And we feast and sing and be merry. Then the night truly begins. By the time we leave the restaurant (and we're eating on Spanish time, so it's like 11.00, midnight now. Get it right, America), the streets are already filled with costumed Spaniards. We file our way to our first concert of the night. This plaza is filled with people- dancing and drinking and just having the best time!! Some of my favorite memories from this portion of the night: 1) Watching my friend, dressed as a black angel, chasing around a bunch of children dressed as cops. 2) Seeing another of my Spanish friends, dressed as a giant cookie, peeing on a church. Beautiful.
By the time this first concert's over, I've already made friends with a Mario, a Scotsman, and a monk, and they show me around the festivities a bit more. After a bit of exploring, we find the second concert of the night, and like magic, we run into a couple of my friends again (the child-chasing angel and the other angel who tried to get a short cross-dresser to make out with me earlier...). I end up hanging out with the Scotsman for awhile, and we started talking to a clown. After a long conversation (in Spanish), we finally introduce ourselves to her. And upon learning that I'm from the States, she asks, "¿Hablas español?" (Seriously, lady, where have you been?) But I just go with it and say of course!! She goes on to ask me to say something in Spanish.... Really?? But I just said What do you want me to say?, and I just blew this clown's mind... at least I got a balloon out of it.
More music and dancing. After about 6 or so (oh yeah, AM folks), the rest of my original group decided they needed to go home (weak). So I found some new pals and starting checking out some more parties and concerts. At one of the parties, I happened to run into one of my ISEP friends- completely by chance. He was a matchstick. Also, a really tall, Swedish dinosaur girl came up to me, but immediately lost interest when I told her "no soy sueco..." If I had a euro for every time they think I'm Swedish......
In any case - I barely manage to make it home before the sun comes up. But the joke's on me- because we have to check out of the hostel by 11.
And it's not over yet!!! We make it back to Vigo for the last night of Carnaval. Some of the other internationals found me on the streets and took me to a concert that was going on downtown. It was great!! We ran into some carrots, one of which informed us: "Soy una zanahoria borracha!" Then they set up a few huge dolls of some not-so-popular political figures up to burn.
I love this place.
I did miss the Death of Carnaval party, but I'll be sure to make it next year.
So back to the "real world." My Portuguese professor informs me the day before: Oh hey, we're going on a trip to Portugal tomorrow for class! Like it's no big deal. So we head on down to the Spanish-Portuguese border to check out the walled city of Valença.
Then, just yesterday, we hopped on a boat to go to Baiona, where they were having their annual Medieval Festival. Yeah, that happens here too....but it was so much fun!!!
 |
| View from the boat on the way over. |
 |
| Oh hey there Islas Cíes in the background. |
 |
| Lunch time!! Cheesecake and a Napolitana covered with white chocolate. |
 |
| Short bathroom. |
 |
| Fauno! |
Spanish Gnomes:
Some more little gifts these guys have left me over the past few weeks:
1- Subscription to dating service (deleted immediately)
2- Phone numbers (To text or not to text...)
3- A messenger address (I'm gonna have to download that, I guess)
Café Count:
Well, now that this is happening, I think I'm going to have to find some sort of format to lay out all of the data... but for now:
Since last we talked (approximately 17 days ago) up until this exact moment (I just now finished another double at the café down the street), I have taken in 10 cups of single shots of coffee and a whopping 49 doubles. That's 108 shots of coffee, folks. Now my heart rate's averaging something around 185 beats per minute and it's great.
The Ropa Española Initiative (REI):
A special this time in honor of Carnaval: it's the Máscara Veneciana
I chose to go a little simple this year (but c'mon - I love these masks... they're so classy!!), but I'll go full-out next year, I promise!
Alright- that's all for now, guys. Hasta la próxima
-Besos-
