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| Carnival by night |
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| The most fun I've ever had! |
When I left my dorm to go join the festivities in the city square, I had no idea what I was in for. I didn't bring a costume this semester, mostly because I didn't want to make room in my suitcase, but I figured Carnival might be like Halloween, where that would be fine and not everyone would be wearing a costume anyway. Boy, was I WRONG.
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| EVERY street was this packed! |
If you grew up in the United States like I did, then Carnival in Maastricht is unlike anything you have experienced in your entire life. It is NOTHING like Halloween--it's way too intense to be compared to our measly attempt at "dressing up" for a holiday. If you want to compare it to something, Carnival would be like Halloween, but with MUCH better costumes--(and I mean MUCH better, these people work on them for what looks like months and months), but it's more than an intensified Halloween. It's that plus a mixture of Mardi Gras, (only without the self-exposure and indecency), multiply all of that by a million and add a WHOLE lot of fun, and then you have a product worthy of comparison to Carnival.
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| The costumes were amazing! |
These people seriously taught me how to have a good time. During Carnival, the Dutch roam the city streets for about five days and nights, 24 hours a day, in costume. Their are contests, parades, (in which you can jump in with an instrument and join at any time), and all kinds of people having a good time everywhere. Everything except the pubs shuts down. All of the main restaurants and cafes and businesses are closed, so if you aren't participating in the fun, there is pretty much nothing for you in the city.
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| My favorite Christmas-themed family! |
Everyone gets very in to it, too. This isn't just a holiday for college students, as it might be if it were in the United States. I would argue that I saw more families and middle-aged people dancing in the streets and celebrating than young people, which I really appreciated. It was so exciting to see people of all ages come together for great fun.
Everyone is so friendly. Even though I got some weird looks for NOT being in costume, no one was having a bad time. They are all out celebrating life and good times, and not worrying about a care in the world. They know when Carnival comes around, it's time to forget stress and have a good time.
It's a shame that we don't have something like this in the United States. I think it must be good for the soul to take time to have fun. Too few Americans realize that life isn't just about work and business--but it's about loving life and celebrating with your friends and family. Everyone has to let loose sometime.
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| Party in my dorm room! It was a little packed... |
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| My Baylor friends who came to visit! |
Well, My Carnival experience was one of the best. I can honestly say I think I had more fun than I every have. I was blessed because I had five friends from Baylor fly from Waco to hang out for the week! We had a GREAT time. I think the boys really loved it, and Amber too. The funny thing was, they didn't get a hotel, instead, we ALL crashed in my dorm room. Amber and I had the beds, and the four boys slept on the floor. They were troopers though, and it made for an awesome week--very typical colllege story, eh?
We basically spent our Carnival days "living like the locals" and dancing in the streets. We met so many wonderful people, the Dutch are SO sweet and caring, and they are so fun to jump in and dance with!
I showed my visiting friends around the city of Maastricht, so they could get a feel for the town that I have been living in for the past few months. We walked around the city squares, along the River Maas, stopped by sidestreet waffle vendors, and took some time to sit and enjoy ourselves at the park. It was a GREAT weekend.
If you ever find yourself craving a European adventure, or a party like nothing you have ever experienced, than go to Maastricht during Carnival week. I PROMISE you won't be dissappointed.
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