Carnival and Goodbye

---

C'est fini, presque, pour cette fois. Je termine sur une note festive et canavalesque.
Het is bijna voorbij. En ik eindig mijn verhalen over deze periode op Madeira met een feestelijk carnavalsverslag.

It's almost over. This is the last story about this stay on Madeira, a cheerful one on carnival.

Saturday evening at nine we had a (relatively) small fireworks display to announce the start of the float parade.
Last year we'd seen the fireworks and the parade in the rain. This year the day was sunny and the night clear, but rather cold, only 12 degrees. Poor boys and girls, scantily clad in their flimsy veils and feathers. They were dancing away to keep themselves warm.
No such luck for the people who'd bought tickets to watch from the bleachers, they must have been frozen at the end of the spectacle.
We were after just an hour and a half, so we went home halfway through and had some nice madeira wine and chocolate.

Many people from outside Madeira have come two watch it all, and the hotels and restaurants are happy, or so the newspapers report.
But on Sunday, we had a thunderstorm, with rain and lots of wind.
Maybe it's time to go home...
Just one more week and we'll be back in Provence. In the rain, if we can believe the forecasts.

I have included some pics of the street cleaners. During the carnival festivities they never stop cleaning the streets of Funchal. The cleaning ladies that we saw Saturday night (and who we see all the other days as well) were very pleased to have their picture taken, and then wanted Paul to be in it with them. Just so you know, these are not his mistresses.

Mardi gras was beautiful and sunny, and the fun parade was a joy to watch, so were the people.

Now als that's left for us is one more attempt to be fit at Holmes Place, one more lunch at La Pasta, and then we'll head back home.


Goodbye Madeira, adeus, até a próxima vez.
It was a great pleasure, see you next time.


For more impressions, check out my picasa album:
https://picasaweb.google.com/overderooien/CarnivalFunchal2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCLa1qJPDps7lfg#

---

Photos

most children love dressing up
and posing for pictures

ladies in our street
hurrying to the Sá supermarket - to entertain the clients or do some last minute shopping?

fireworks
mark the start of the float parade

two street cleaners
still busy at night

bunny
she needs a poncha to warm her, or maybe a man?

happy little girl
children just love it

the crowd was huge
but on the whole very disciplined

the poncha bar
at the end of the fun parade everyone was in dire need of a poncha

this one has his fill already
at least he found a quiet place to fall down

the end
before the street cleaners came