Carnival in Sigtes

Carnival in Sigtes
I went to Carnival last night and can safely say that it was one of the most eye opening experiences of my life. The lights, the sounds, the people, the costumes; literally every part of it opened my eyes to a new way of living and a new culture with completely different ideals and customs from the one that I grew up in and am used to. Never have I experienced an atmosphere that was cohesive and driven towards one goal; to have fun. People were running around in an alcohol induced frenzy hell bent on having fun and not letting anything stop them from their goal. The alcohol was flowing steadily from every bottle, restaurant, pub, house and most surprisingly float that could be seen within a mile in every direction. The rain only added to the mayhem by providing everyone with a refreshingly cool stimulant which aided people in continuing their partying long into the night. If one were to travel onto the beach you would find hundreds of people stretched far along the boardwalk and sand singing and dancing with no cares in the world. Everyone dressed in home made and extremely intricate costumes that would put any American Halloween costume to absolute shame.
People could be seen everywhere; in the street, on balconies, on the beach, in clubs and so on. People, made up in costumes from the bottoms of their feet to the very tops of their heads, seemed to be pouring out of every orifice the city had onto the streets. The confetti and glitter was flying high in the air as countless amounts of sparklers and miniature fireworks went off all around you at every moment. Perhaps the most surprising part of this trip was the types of people that I came into contact with while roaming the streets. There were men, women, old, young, fat, skinny, handsom and some not so handsome all around me. There where people of every different type and make and every costume seemed to be more ridiculous, offensive and risqué than the last.
Overall this experience was mind boggling and I would not have traded it for anything. To see hundreds, if not a few thousand, people partying in the streets of this otherwise peaceful and rather small town was a site I would encourage everyone to see at some point in their life and I am sure that this will be one that I will never forget about my semester abroad in Barcelona.