Carnival

This past Sunday our family along with Jim, Megan and Jack took the train to Den Bosch for the Carnival celebrations.  I have never been to Mardi Gras, but I am guessing it is similar. We stuck out like sore thumbs though because we didn't dress up at all.  I didn't realize that everyone would be decked out. Most of the southern cities in the Netherlands are predominantly Catholic so that is where we needed to go to find the parties.  We arrived and Kaylin immediately wanted to be carried.  She was so uncertain and wanted NO part in ANYTHING!  I think if we would have dressed up too she wouldn't have been so scared.  I put her in the carrier and she fell asleep.  Actually, by the time the parade started all three kids were sleeping.  The parade was quite disorganized, but no one seemed to care at all.   For example, in parades that we are used to the bands are all separated for obvious reasons.  Not so here...they were were ever they decided to be.  At one point a band came down a side road and just walked right into the parade route!  It was very amusing. 

Each city has their own set of colors and Den Bosch's colors are red and yellow.  It also seems that every year there is a new patch for the festival that everyone sews onto their carnival jacket.  Good times!

We didn't take too many pictures because it was snowing and we didn't want the camera to get wet.

You can see the jacket with all of the patches.