Karneval weekend - February 16-21

I'm not as good at keeping up with my blog as I thought I would be. Sorry.

Anywho, Karneval was over a month ago. But man, that was quite the weekend.

Karneval is actually referred to around here as a fifth season. You have Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Karneval. It gets kicked of on November 11th and then dials down through Advent season until mid to late January, when things start ramping up again. I started seeing business people in suits and stick-on tattoos of Cologne's coat of arms on their cheeks, strange wigs and costumes on the trains, and an auto dealer on my commute was turned into a party venue of sorts right around the turn of the month. The official Karneval weekend was February 16th-21st, as a kickoff for the beginning of Lent. It's much bigger than Halloween here. Everyone, and I really do mean everyone, gets into the spirit. Cologne is pretty much the epicenter of Karneval celebrations and is probably the most famous place in Germany that celebrates it.