'Tis the season...

...of Fastnacht in Germany (as opposed to Fasnacht in Basel, which is coming up soon, and about which I'm sure we'll have much more to say). I remember when I first moved here last year and I would turn on the TV and some of the German channels would have this bizarre variety show on, which I finally figured out was Carnival, or Fastnacht. Gretchen hadn't arrived yet so I tried to tell her how strange it was, but I don't think I found the right words because now that she's seen it this year, she agrees that it's quite difficult to describe. Imagine, if you can, combining Halloween, the Lawrence Welk Show, Up With People, Sabado Gigante, Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus, the Tonight Show, a cheerleading competition, and a German beer hall. Well, that still doesn't convey how strange it is if you don't know what's going on. And it's HUGE! This time of year there's a different one on TV every night (each city has its own festival, and of course all the big cities evidently think theirs is the best).