I’ve never been colder than when I was in Venice during carnivale. There, I said it. It rained and rained, and was freezing, PLUS the whole time we walked around on an inch of pulpy paper. Yuck.
While Jaime and I were there, we met Brazilian and Venetian students and crashed at their place. They honestly weren’t very crazy about the city and their apartment was in horrible shape–cramped and small. Nothing like what I was used to back in the states.
The mask shops of Venice are unforgettable. While, yes, there are only a certain number of mask patterns and you can pretty much find the same ones for the same price at every shop, the cool thing is that every shop is still local. The person selling you the mask is usually the same person who actually made it. And, the masks are still beautiful, especially in the rows and rows of patterns and colors and shapes.
Piazza San Marco was crazy during the costume contest, and the fabulous Carnivale celebrators were out in full. While I wish the costume had been a bit more colorful, there’s something venerable and classic about it. I love the eyes—it’s in fact the most interesting thing about the photo. Who is this person behind the mask?!
