Karneval Celebration Year 2

 

Last year on November 11^th we went to the start of Karneval with minimal expectations and knowledge. We viewed a celebration similar to what we might expect at Mardi Gras. There are some similarities, but lots of differences as well. The real Karneval celebration coincides with Lent as does Madis Gras, but here in Koln they open the Karneval Season on November 11^th at 11:11 in the morning. Karneval is then put on hold until after Advent and Christmas. It is basically a street festival with mostly just adults participating and has been in existence since 1823!!!. There are costumes, very creatively constructed with couples dressing alike, groups creating themes, and individuals dressed in a wide variety of costumes usually not gruesome in nature as in the states with Halloween. It is definitely not as sexual in nature as Mardi Gras, but drinking of beer especially is in the middle of it all. There is always music – most of it by live bands on the streets, on stages, and in hotel ballrooms. Lots of singing, swaying, and tens of thousands of people in costume traveling to the large squares around the city to celebrate with the crowds.

         Every year there are three people who are granted the titles of Virgin, Prince and Farmer. They pay a large amount of money to be the representatives for the festivities. A man dressed as a female always portrays the virgin. This trio has existed since 1883 and is ever-present characters in the celebrations. Their costumes are elaborate and traditional. They are on stage in the biggest square in Koln leading the festivities.

         This year some in the FedEx community decided to dress in a group costume after some of us had a chance to participate last year and get a taste of how it all goes down. We had 23 people make costumes, but because of schedules only about half were able to participate on November 11^th. No worries there will be 5 days in February when the costumes can be resurrected and used again at the big events that happen 5 days before Lent begins! We had a beautiful sunny day this year, which was appreciated and enjoyed by our group.

I even found George at Karneval!

Nice and Annecy, France

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After a wonderful week in Tuscany we needed to head back to Germany. The weather had changed and it was cloudy and rainy in Italy, so we sat at the computer and used weather.com to find a destination for a couple days with some sun. We ended up finding Nice, France. 

Nice, France

It was a very pretty ride up the coast of Italy into France. Surprising to us was the strong Italian influence in Nice. At one time Nice was part of Italy and you can see that in the culture of the town. We took advantage of another bike tour of a city in Nice and really enjoyed a sunny day biking around and getting some background on a very beautiful city. The old town is particularly quaint and has changed very little over the decades. The streets are very narrow with old buildings right up to the skinny sidewalks with churches tucked into small squares.

Our three words for Nice -
                     Vibrant                    Mediterranean                Charming

Mediterranean Sea

There is a wide promenade all along the waterfront. The beach is not sandy, but covered in small stones. Beautiful old hotels and apartment buildings line the waterfront street and lead to a very pretty harbor that has a marina where boats, large and small pull in and out. There is a famous market that is set up in the old town of Nice, half of the market is flowers – beautiful, colorful, aromatic flowers and the other half is fresh food. The mushrooms were amazing – all sizes and shapes. At one end of the city is park up on a hill that offers a remarkable view of the city. Definitely worth the hike up, or as we did peddle up on our bike tour.

Nice Harbor

Mushrooms

Nice Market

Annecy, France

We spent two nights in Nice and then stopped at another beautiful French town before making it back to Koln. Annecy, France was our next stop. A very tiny village with a gorgeous lake surrounded by the Swiss Alps. The top of Mount Blanc was already covered in snow. Quite a beautiful sight. We got up in the morning and took a walk through town at 8 am. The lake had clouds rising up as the sun was coming up with the mountains as a backdrop. Early in the morning, market stands were setting up all around the village. There had to be 50 different vendors selling fresh vegetables, fruits, cheese, salami, breads, flowers, and meats. I could not imagine there would be that many people in the town to do their shopping here, but as the town woke up there were lots of people buying from the stands. A beautiful stop to end a great vacation in October. 

Rushing water in the canals of Annecy

Morning market in Annecy