Wieverfastelovend - Part of Fasching festival, and a visitor from Chicago!

What is Wieverfastelovend ? It's the entry of women into Fasching. Fasching is the carnival/pre-lent week of celebrations when Germans are at their craziest, which could not be saying much, but they really do go all-out. Initally Fasching was for men only, so when women started to join in the celebration, they got the Thursday before the big weekend celebrations to themselves. On this night, all men must dress up like women to get into establishments. The women can do whatever they like. It was great fun, albeit cold.

I'd gone into Amberg for Wieverfastelovend with some people from Vilseck post, and ran into others who I knew there. Later that night, I picked up my friend, Wanda, who I met on the south island of New Zealand about two years ago (that's the last time I'd seen her). It was pretty delightful to pick her up from the train in a crazy outfit. While she was here, we laid low, as she'd just been to a lot of big Euro cities, and I was fresh off a trip to my mother country, so it worked out perfectly for both of us. Nights of cooking dinner together, sleeping in late, drinking wine and wandering small towns. All a delight. Plus matching shirts. Who can beat that?