The carnival that even Wikipedia can't describe...
Trip Start
Jan 02, 2011
1
6
20
Trip End
Sep 14, 2011
Dunkerque, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
We arrived in Dunkerque late afternoon, thanks to my friend's extremely generous French boyfriend who offered to drive us there and back to experience the carnival that everyone had been talking about. After spending an hour driving through the French countryside with four international students making fun of his country, followed by another hour getting lost driving around Dunkerque (which is not the most beautiful of places) I really expected this guy to turn the car around and go back to Lille. Luckily for us, his resilient French spirit shined through and we found the main parade of the carnival - a sight for soar eyes indeed.
My initial thought was, is there any kind of theme to this place? Any particular reason why drunk men in drag are parading the streets alongside small children in decorated strollers and old ladies drinking beer? I proceeded to ask various French people the meaning of this intriguing event, but as I was also partaking in the festivities, my ability to speak and understand French was becoming rather limited. Needless to say, I really cannot tell you exactly why I went to a random city in Northern France and partied with strange people wearing strange clothes. And, hence the title of this entry, I searched wikipedia for an explanation and apparently they don't know anything more than I do.
But despite my inherent confusion, I can honestly say that out of everywhere I've been, I have experienced almost nothing as bizarre as this day. And I am going to be making a serious effort to attend more random events that I don't know a single thing about! When in Northern France..
