Our last weekend in Tübingen

I get home on Sunday. We're all in absolute denial that the year has really come to an end. But I can't wait to go home... I miss home so very much!

The party

Kate and her flatmates had a party on Friday night, which was also Jo and Jeremy's last night on the Continent before heading over to start their London adventure. It was an awesome night (nothing to do with that €12 bottle of Smirnoff) and I enjoyed being able to party one last time with all my mates over here. Us girls are flying home together but I will really miss my Italian and Polish and German friends who are staying in Europe. Not to mention all my Aussie friends who are leaving the country in droves to go live in England!


Me with Susie and Cath - all flying home together


Me with Kate - also flying this weekend


Konrad (Polish) and Jo (Aussie) - both staying in Europe! :(

The Fasnet parade

Then as if to give us a real German send-off, today there was the Tübingen Fasnetsumzug (carnivale parade), traditionally an opportunity for people to indulge in vices before the start of Lent!



In this region in southern Germany (as well as lots of other regions in Germany), each town has its own unique costume - such as a witch or a pig outfit - complete with a wooden carved mask. They're really intricate and very expensive! And on Sundays during the Fasnet season (also known as "the 5th season of the year" or "the crazy season"), keen beans from each town who own these costumes travel to all the other towns to take part in whichever parade is on that weekend.



Typically the costumed people in the parade will go through the town smearing paint on peoples' faces, setting off fireworks, pulling or messing up girls' hair, drinking and singing. In the picture you can see a poor girl being carried away by an overenthusiastic witch.

This is definitely not normal behaviour for the usually very well behaved Germans! Today in the parade, one group of witches gathered in a circle around one of their witches, and used their broomsticks to lift the one in the middle about 6 metres into the air!

Ahh Germany... You never really can know what to expect! (...get me outta here!)