The second best festival we ever happened upon was in Grenada (98 or 99,
I think). Not having been raised Catholic we didn't know about Corpus
Christi. The day before, we happened to tour one of the churches and
there were ladders and scaffolding all over the place. We noted, but
couldn't imagine why. That night there was a great street party. Food
and drink and dancing. Fancy Spanish dress and castanets and little boys
dancing with their grandmothers. It was wonderful. Unfortunately, later
that night we were stupid tourists, walking home, speaking English much
too loudly and waving a big map around. In a narrow little street, I had
my purse ripped from my arm by a pair of boys on a motorbike (one to
drive, one to rip). exactly the kind of scenario the tour books warn
against. Ah well. Nothing lost except all my ID and my son's camera with
all our pictures of the Alhambra.
The following morning, we went back downtown to witness the parade of
all the church statues and icons (the ladders had been to remove them
from their places) and children and priests and nuns and other groups
down the street amid palm fronds underfoot and rose petals dropped from
all the overhanging balconies. Magic. And I'm not even Catholic.
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm enjoying these memories, Ursula, still lost in North Bay
Judith Evans wrote:
--- Ursula Stange <Ursula@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
We always walk everywhere.In Prague (we
visited many times in all seasons as our son lived there for a few
years (also Ljublijana and then Vilnius), I used to get up early and catch
the first tram that arrived and just take it to the end of the line and
see what was there.
Those trams were good, I hope they're still running. The only other city I know around there -- as it were; I went before Czechoslovakia broke up -- is Bratislava. I liked it a lot, but I read it's now home to drunken British tourists.
As to the waxed paper, yes, I'm harking back to our
first visit to England in 1975.
There must be some still around!
went into town. There happened to be a festival and
carnival going on and the old town was alight with food and games and
rides and dancing and drinking.
Ah yes. I've thought of going there at festival time.
When I was there it was basically rather boring but I
think that's because it was a day-trip and I was
subjected to historical tours and didn't really see
the actual town. My vaguely magical experiences were
in Les Saintes Maries de La Mer (the gypsies were
there) and in Arles (because of the amazing Provencal
light).
Judy Evans, Cardiff
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