No time like a deadline – it’s Easter, and the last possible moment that I can describe Carnaval – a party that celebrates the beginning of Lent. It’s celebrated in the south of The Netherlands, the only portion that remains traditionally Catholic. We went to Den Bosch this year, and spent last year in Eindhoven. Den Bosch is the city here that is best known for Carnaval – they officially change their name to Oeteldonk during the festival. To me, it’s more Halloween than Marti Gras – the parades are smaller, and everyone participates by going in costume. Last year we did not have a costume, and we vowed not to do that again. The costume that we decided on this year was a hit but a bit too cumbersome to ever do again:

We also thought we would dodge sexual innuendo from other attendees, but we didn’t anticipate the question “Do you stack?” (Answer: No. I’m Duplo and Manon’s Lego). Here are a few pictures from the parade, as well as some of our favorite costumes:

Because we are old ladies, we found Eindhoven better than Den Bosch – which was a little too crowded. Also, and this was totally our fault, walking through crowded streets in boxes gets old pretty quickly.