Afternoon Bloggers,
Could the last week or so have been the most hectic in time here in Cádiz? If not then its come bloody close!! So much to tell you, so little time.....
Friday saw the return of Mairi and the first appearance of Charlotte in Cádiz... Sam, who was supposed to come, didn't make it... not happy kiddo!! And also marking the sudden, sharp, rise in the population of Cai. Much too our distain, not like we didn't enjoy all the excitement and fun, but when a 10 minute walk takes an hour, it starts to get on your nerves!! But simply isn't the Carnaval spirit and so we sucked it all up and headed into the night. Drinks, more drinks, and oh, a little bit more in the ay of drinks at Lucy and Lauras.... riding the train, or failing to do so, getting more bloated off of booze than i have ever felt... and i thought VKs were a bloater, Tinto gives bloatedness to a alll new level, i mean i felt like one of those Ethiopian kids off of the adverts, although im more tanned... And then Drinks in hand we headed to the joint leaving/birthday party of Little Sarah and Martha. Costumes and face paints galore, my lack of dressing up left me a bit un-carnavally, but using the excuse that I was dressed as a member of a boy band meant I was given a little bit of a break! After having drunk what felt like my bodies weight in Tinto we headed to Magdala and into the Cádiz Carnaval night.
Some people say that you can't always get what you want, but Friday night saw me to get exactly that. You could not pull the smile off of my face if you tried! Friday night was a huge success, what a way to kick off carnaval, laughter, bruises, and lots of alcohol, could it be the perfect start to the perfect weekend?
Not exactly.... Disaster struck!
Saturday got off to a great start, costumed up we headed into the early afternoon sun, Cows, Romans, Butterflies, Hula girls, Mexicans and Dancers in tow, to join the festivities and get our drinks on... Again! The crowds started to gather, street entertainers causing groups to gather, street vendors filling the air with the sweet smell of Carnival grub, and the atmosphere was definitely building up into a big, electric night. We hit Plaza Catedral to track down the parties, and found a humongous crowd of people dressed as everything under the sun, drinking and eating, swinging and dancing the afternoon into the night. After enjoying the brilliant buzz at the Cathedral we headed back to San Antonio to prepare for a long time.... For me at work, for the rest, partying it away. 9:30pm till 7am. A long shift indeed. Think of the money mat, think of the money.... Well that was just what Mairi was doing as some pleb snatched her bag during the festivities. A huge downer on her visit and our weekend as a group. Rushed off my feet at work with A constant full bar to serve from open at 11 until close at 6:15, the knees took some hammering! But just when I thought my night was over...
How wrong would I be? What a silly question to ask! I only went to Katies to pick up my keys... Little was I expecting this to be the turning point in a very interesting weekend. After waking up at 11 that morning, I was approaching the 24 hour awake mark, a mere bump along the way to notching up 40 hours without sleep... Why? Katie was Ill, and by Ill I mean ill! Two trips to the hospital, and she was diagnosed with Blood, Kidney and Throat infections.... Ouch, ouch indeed! But how did we manage to get her there and back twice during Carnival? well first time round no taxis were available and we were refused an ambulance... Cheers Spain! So, after speaking to SuperTrace, I had to force her to walk the agonizingly long walk to the bus stop, next stop AnE! Bus back 4 hours later? Don't be silly! At that state all buses were packed with people heading into Old Town for the celebrations, and none would stop to pick is us up! And with taxis in sight it was the long, unbearable walk back to Cadiz On a Sunday afternoon in which everything, including all Pharmacies were closed... So no medication was available!
In between getting Katie to and from the Hospital we had to say goodbye to Mairi and Charlotte, not a happy goodbye, but a goodbye nonetheless, And as they got on their ways, we managed, eventually, to struggle with Katie, back past the crowds and back to her room, after which I headed back home, to get sorted and washed, before shading back for part 2...
After finally tracking down an open pharmacy through the wonder that is the world wide web, myself and Laura headed off into the busy Cádiz evening to collect her prescription to try and make her better.... only being allowed 1/3 of her medication and an interesting visit to Hollywood for food along the way was only the start to another interesting night without any sleep.
After eating we headed back to Katies, both of us full, tired and cold, not exactly expecting another trip to the Dr's, but after securing an Ambulance visit, and sending Katie off in it with Laura, myself and Lucy headed to the bus stop for another return to the waiting room. Luckily for us, a shorter visit, after pumping Katie with a glass jar full of Antibiotics we were sent off on our way in a taxi, into the late night/early morning. And after tucking Katie in bed, I finally made my way to mine. 40 hours later, my head was on my pillow, my head full of the torment, madness, happiness and terrible times that had passed us by that weekend.
Looking back on the weekend now, in hindsight, after the wonderful day yesterday in the early evening sun, drinking away our troubles, followed by face painting and partying, I can say there's not a lot of it i would want to change. It was a brilliant weekend, things happened, relationships changed for the better and the worst, people surprised me, for the better and worse, but what is Carnaval more about than putting on a mask and not being who you really are?
Carnaval is about letting go of things, dressing up means you can be someone you are not, but sometimes it's when you are trying to be so ethnic you aren't that you become exactly what you are. The real you can come out, people say and o things they don't mean, or wouldn't have done in other situations, and in the pitch black of the Carnival night, you start to see the light of day.
But with all the good and bad times of Opening Carnaval weekend a mere memory and facebook photo, I can look on towards the rest of this week and the few weeks to come;
Today is pancake day, and we mark the start if Lent by eating all those delicious sugary treats :) But also for Lent we give up things we think we can do without, and things that perhaps feel we should do without... What I have given up? Well a wise person told me that it wasn't good for me.... So I have given it up, it's nothing to mention, it's nothing to boast, but, for the next month, I will stop, and enjoy my time away, back in blighty, with not a trouble in the world.
For the rest of the week we have work at Magdala, Mattys 22 birthday celebrations, and then my flight home, back to England, and thankfully, at last, back to what I love, Musical Theatre, my weekend dedicated to seeing Northumbria's society Make RENT as brilliant as it is on the West End.
After this I mark my return to Donny, back to the family and friends I left behind 2 months ago, and back to see my Grandad celebrate his 80th birthday with a big bash at Donny Rovers' Keepmoat Stadium, with over 100 guests including his brother, my Great-Uncle, over from Australia for 2 weeks, the first time in a few years.
And then it will be back to Cai, back to the people here I adore so much, the people who make my days here, be there sun or showers, uni or chilling, some of the best days of my life, and without a doubt, one of the best years I will ever have.
Happy Blogging :)
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