Pictures:Belen (Argentina) and I with a Hexen (witch) from some other city....ironically all the witches are men, and try to speak like a raspy feminine witch, very amusing
Some fastnacht group from another town marching through the parade in Säkingen
Two Wälder men: dressed up with backpack full of schwarzwald bacon and schnapps.
For some reason it's not letting me post any more pics, so as of now there are no pics of Jungfrau. stupid computer.
Well I have failed the last few weeks to post, and since right now ''Fastnacht'' is almost over, I guess I can write something about it. It started 3 weeks ago this thursday, and it common to the south western region of germany and also in switzerland. I dont really know how to explain it, but it has something to do with Catholocism and Lent. The name fastnacht comes from fasting and night, meaning the 3 weeks or so before Lent the people fast in the day time then in the night they can eat, or something like that. in fact that is probably wrong, but what Ive got from it is a lot of celebrating, dressing up, parties, and a week off from school. the ''Erste Faise'' or phasise i dont know how to spell it was the first thursday, then there is a 2nd one, the next thursday, then the Dritte (third) Faise was last thursday. I dont really know what the faise is, i forgot, but we hardly had school that day. On the first one, the Wälder (comes from wald, meaning the Swchwarzwalder's, black forest people) came into the city, well dressed as the tradtional schwarzwalder from way back when. there was a parade and they came into the school playing Guggemusik, whihc is the fastnachts music...lots of drums and trompets and horn instruments. they came into all the schools, dressed up, playing music, and went upstairs and drank schnapps and ate schwarzwald speck (bacon) with the teachers!!!! i thought that was funny. and they only speak dialect of course. there was acutally a lot of them that are from säckingen and just participate for the heck of it. every city and even a lot of the little villages have different traditinos, but they all have some sort of costume...they are all different, anything works, but a tradional thing is to dress up like a witch, with the specail hand made mask...some of them cost up to €1000. i really have no idea what the costumes mean or why they are waht they are...some people have tried to gvie me an explanation but it didnt really work. anyway theres some pics.
yesterday I went snowboarding again in the alps at Jungfrau!! the famous mountain in the Alps, looking out over the city of Grindelwald. I was there with two friends, Ben and Julia, and we took enough lifts up to get to the Jungfrau train station...here is a pic: http://www.worldtravelimages.co.uk/gallery/Switzerland/jungfrau_rail.jpg this is the train station i was at, except with snow. There is one that we wanted to go to, but it costs around $70 or so for a ride in it. But it takes you to the highest train station in Europe, http://www.cosatravel.com/itinerary/bilder/ACFY91Vzv.jpg... and you pretty much would ahve a view of everything because its sooooo high. It was verrry cool and i think i will be going back this summer for a chance to see it in the summer, take comparative pictures and camp overnight in the alps!!! oohh cant wait----gonna have to wait though, since it is once again snowing...the coldest and longest enduring winter in germany in 20 years by the way. and i am here. uhhhh im sick of the snow.
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