Fasching: German Mardi Gras

One of the things we experienced falling on my blog absence is Carnival. Carnival is, well, unique. It's sort of like a German Mardi Gras. It's a celebration, a parade, a firm, a reason to drink - that is, if the Germans ever need a reason to drink.

This float  was throwing liquor bottles, not candy. 

 Hell, they have breakfast beer here. I don't think they need a reason, but I think they always welcome them. 

Seen at Velburg Fasching Parade

Anyway, the parades are great fun. The costumes are incredible. Many of them poke fun at or complain about various parts of the government and church bodies, at policies they disagree with, that sort of thing. 

It's like an open forum to air one's grievances. Superb.

Of course, there are Halloween costumes, too. All the stores sell them this time of year. Germans -- unless they live near and have been influenced by Americans -- don't usually do Halloween. Fasching is the time for costumes and candy here. As Americans living in Germany, we got to double dip. :)

My precious -- I mean wicked -- witch ready for the parade

And there's plenty of candy. The parade participants pelt the audience with candy. I do mean pelt. 

Some of the characters seen at the parade:

Leaving Germany

Time flies when you're having fun. I haven't been writing lately because I've been, well, having fun. We have just a short time left in Germany. Hub's orders are up, and we're moving to Alaska this summer. Neither of us really wants to leave Germany, even though Alaska's been on our wishlist of duty stations far longer than Germany ever had. We've grown to love it here, to feel at home here, and it's sad that we have to leave.

Still, it's not time to be sad yet. It's time to make the most of the short time (less than two months left now) that we have. It's time for cramming in travel opportunities.

So, we are doing just that.

Over the course of this week, I'll share with you our recent travels, as well as a new project I've undertaken recently.

Oh, and I'll update my 2014 goals list I wrote about in January. There's been progress. Not a lot of progress, but some.

Here's a sneak peek into my recent travels ...

I fulfilled a life's dream: Auschwitz. It was unforgettable. More on that later. I've got to wake up my daughter and get her ready to find more adventure. Seize the day!