Carnaval: Carn- meat a- without val- brave. Bravery without meat. That’s a rough translation of the festivities we experienced last weekend. We were forced to brave the streets of Maastricht congested with the costumed Dutchies lacking all forms of carnivorous nourishment.
They love their Carnaval in Holland town… let me tell ya. They have been celebrating since we arrived here in January. Cheap somewhat creepy decorations have been greeting us around every corner. Months of drunken celebrations have all led up to this one weekend for Maastricht. They cancelled our classes for a week and opened the square for costumed masses to chant Carnavaly songs and drink. Those are the only two activities I came across anyway. Not true. There was a chocolate vaffle stand I became rather fond of.
I don’t think I quite caught the excitement of Carnaval though. I would try to get in the spirit of the holiday, but I kept thinking this was one of worst nightmares lived out. Drunk people in creepy costumes with their faces covered up crowding around me shouting at me in a foreign language… Did I mention they don’t have Cheesecake Factory over here? Yep… that’s pretty much my worst nightmare.
It was fun though; definitely a unique experience.
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