Carnival!

No, no, I haven´t forgotten about the reason I went to Brazil, even though there have been two blog posts about Brazil since. The main point of going to Rio at the end of February was, of course, the amazing spectacle that is Carnival. It, honestly, is almost impossible to describe - it is unlike absolutely anything I have ever witnessed before. Welcoming in the New Millenium on the strip in Las Vegas was crazy. I´ve never been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but I hear it´s quite insane. I don´t even know what else I can try comparing it too, but none of it comes close, I´m certain of that.

The city is filled with people. I don´t know what it´s like normally, but the public transportation system was clearly staining - we´d regularly have to stand in line for 20 minutes just to get a ticket for the subway. And the subway just takes you to the party. Whether it´s a block party marching and singing through the streets:

Bloco in Ipanema beach

or a beach with not quite enough room for everyone there

Ipanema´s crowded

But once the sun sets, the party really kicks into gear

Lapa, an area full of bars, restaurants, and night clubs is now so full of people (all the way through the night) that the clubs literally spill right into the street. No pictures here, sadly, as Lapa is also not particularly safe, so you don´t bring anything you don´t want stolen, so my camera would stay behind every time.

But that´s all merely the prelude. The weekend comes and the Sambadromo kicks into full gear with all the Samba schools marching through all night long, featuring their outrageous costumes and amazing floats, all while the whole crowd sings and dances in tune with the performers:







Having a good time in the stands...

But words don´t really do the whole thing justice, so you should really just look at the pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2018834&id=1046387715&l=88afa