BEST.PARADE.OF.MY.LIFE! (aka Cabalgatas de los Reyes Magos)

Tuesday evening (the 5th), I headed out to watch the Cabalgatas de los Reyes Magos - the parade that ends with the arrival of the Three Kings.  Best parade I've ever been to, by far.  I was amazed at how many people were all out to watch it.  I could sense the same excited feeling in the air as during Noche en Blanco*.

Unfortunately but expectantly, pictures won't do it justice.  You can't re-create the anticipation bursting from the smiles of all the children, nor the sense of community and happiness shared by the audience that night.  But pictures are better than nothing:   

lots of confetti

giraffes

so many ladders!

 

the kids bring umbrellas to catch more candy

the crowd

yes, that woman is hanging from balloons

bleachers all along the street for a better view

 

  

rule #1: no saving seats 

 lots of confetti to clean up

as expected, the metro was a zoo afterwards

 

Here's a video from Youtube of the parade on Tuesday.  At the beginning, you can see just how many people came to watch (and remember, that's just in one spot in Madrid... the parade went quite a ways through the city, every part filled), and if you skip to around 7:00, it'll show lots of the different floats.



*Note: If I wouldn't have studied abroad for the entire year, I wouldn't have been able to participate in either of these events.