carnival is malta's (and europe's in general) mardi gras celebration. the week before lent starts, the island indulges in vibrant celebrations with parades, costumes & masks, and parties & dancing. i had no idea what to expect when i signed up for the adventure through school -- but these experiences are exactly why i am here. in 2004, gozo's carnival was voted the most spontaneous festival in the world because things are so rarely planned - there are no parade routes, no committees. people show up and the carnival begins to take shape. such is malta.
we took the ferry across to gozo, which is infamous as malta's smaller, more beautiful sister-island. i found this to be true, but not wanting to hurt malta's feelings, i will state that i like them both equally. the first night we went out to a party, where people were dressed up just like on halloween in the states. soon the place became too crowded and it was time to head home -- to an absolutely freezing hotel room. this carnival weekend just happened to be the coldest one in over 50 years...and this hotel did not have heating... jodi, ashley, maggie and i pushed 2 twin beds together and spent the night as four spoons for warmth.
the next day, we woke up and began our adventures. we went to dwejra, a small town in gozo that has some of the most spectacular natural scenery malta has to offer. this is the place seen on a lot of the postcards and posters for the country -- the azure window, the blue hole, and crocodile rock. however, just walking around all this limestone wasn't enough for us, and we decided we needed to go abseilling down the side of one of the cliffs. i swear it was very safe, for anyone who would be worried. but honestly, i was absolutely terrified. however, upon touching solid ground i was so happy i did it! what an unforgettable experience.
that night was the actual carnival party on gozo. there were people even more outrageously dressed up than the night before, but we decided to keep it simple with some classy, feathered masks and glitter. all of the outfits we had picked out for the evening had to be vetoed because it was so unbelievably cold. so we bundled up, donned our masks, and headed out for the craziest street party i've ever witnessed. it was held in a town square, right by the cathedral steps in gozo. there were thousands and thousands of people there of all ages and from all over the world. some of the costumes were ridiculously funny, some questionably appropriate, some absolutely terrifying, and some were just awe-inspiring. it was such an insane night of fun, and i fulfilled the song lyrics by spending hours "dancing in the streets".
once again, the night and crowd became overwhelming to us, so we got a crepe, and returned to our ice-box hotel room. it was then we realized we were homesick -- for our apartments in lija, malta. boom. however, when we woke up the next morning (exhausted, sick with colds and headaches, and ready to go home) i realized how pleased and proud i was to have survived the cold, a cliff, and ultimately, carnival in malta.
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