Carnival: Goofy Costumes and Dancing

Carnival season is upon Greece for the next couple of weeks before Lent starts. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you judge), Greek carnival is less of the Mardi Gras, show-me-you-breasts-for-beads variety and more of the Costumes, masks, and dancing-in-the-street kind. Greece takes carnival pretty seriously (in a fun way) since they kinda invented the whole concept (all the worship festivals and whatnot).

Not too much to tell. My roomie and I got all dressed up and ventured out to Moschato for some Carnival fun: dancing, live music, street vendors, and colorful decorations lining the streets. It was really fun to hear some live music and see some of the interesting cultural dances they have for party times. There were costumes all around, some pretty basic (funny hat) to very complicated (a girl dressed up in Marie-Antoinette type clothes!). The real treat was eating some fresh loukoumades...oh so yummy, yet so small! They are basically donuts fried up, but drizzled with honey, cinnamon, and sometimes fudge and frosting. They were amazingly, wonderfully, (insert more positive adjectives) tasty. I highly suggest making some since they are pretty simple, but oh-so pleasant!


Then we decided to check out the festivities around Plaka. It was pretty much a bust because we were too late for one wave of partying and too early for the next wave. But we walked around for a bit and checked out the beautiful window displays of the candy shops. I found what is now officially one of my favorite streets and once I can load up my pictures (blast!), you'll see why. It was a beautiful little alley of Plaka with lights stringing above the closed store shops, but it looked straight out of a film (yes, I am missing cinema classes!). We eventually dragged ourselves home and whined about the pain in our feet. Overall, it was yet another interesting experience I've had here and it's only the third (fourth?) week.

IMPORTANT

I can't decide where to go for Spring Break (Mar. 30- Apr. 10). Part of me wants to go to Turkey and for some reason, something is calling me to Austria. Or I could go to one of the other 40 countries that surround me. Do I want to fly or go by train? Do I want to stop in other countries? I don't know...darn my indecisiveness! Any suggestions, advice, quotations of inspiration would be greatly appreciated. Plus any travel tips or places to look for good deals (cheap flights!) I would also welcome with open arms! I'm not willing to go crazy and spend tons o' monzo, so I'm trying to figure out how I can budget a trip wisely and cheaply AND maximize my discovery/fun potential. I leave it up to you friends and family! (Not really...but I'd love input!)