Sitges and Carnaval!

Sitges and Carnaval, what an amazing experience. My roommates Nicole, Ben and I took the train to Sitges, a small town south of Barcelona on Tuesday to celebrate Carnaval, Spanish style. I am not exactly sure what Carnaval celebrates, but I believe it corresponds with Mardi Gras. As we walked down the heavily Mediterranean influenced buildings and streets, we were overwhelmed with the sights and sounds. Everywhere we looked there were people preparing for the parade. Apparently we had arrived just in time for the start of the parade. And when Spaniards have a parade, they have a parade. Every costume was perfect in each detail, color, and attitude. We had arrived for the children’s parade, the adult version of the parade would commence at about 9:00 that evening, quite late compared to parades in the U.S. (But everything in Spain is late. Dinner is late, people are late, church is late, parades are late, parties are late. For example, tonight we are going out with our professors from school to a Karaoke bar, and we are meeting at midnight to go out.) But I digress. My favorite float was Grease. There were atleast 50 little T-Birds, Pink Ladies, Danny’s and Sandra D’s all dressed perfectly in costumes and wigs. With music playing the kids danced while onlookers through confetti. By the end of the parade, I was finding confetti in places where confetti doesn’t belong. Little did I know I would still be finding confetti 4 days later. It reminded me of snow covering the ground and people’s shoulders.

After the parade, we wandered to the beach where Nicole and I took off our shoes and socks and played in the Mediterranean. It was a perfect day, blue sky and about 22 degrees Celsius. Who could ask for more when visiting the beach. From there we meandered through the streets, admiring the costumes of the Spaniards both in the parade and observing it. (For everyone dresses up for Carnaval, not just for the parade) Walking everywhere in Spain works up quite the appetite so we found a quaint gelateria that sells waffles or crepes with chocolate and icecream, amazing desserts after a difficult work out J Of course this was followed up with a pint at a little bar right off the beach before heading to the train station for the trek home. What a relaxing day, nothing greater than a train ride giving time to see the countryside and catch up on reading.