May mayhem!

Every four years there is a carnival in Lund, designed and orchestrated by the students at the university. It is an oooooold tradition, since 1848, and this year would be my second carnival ever. When I grew up here I visited with my babysitter, just before our family moved north, and I was 8. I can’t say I remember much of the carnival, but I do remember the crowds and a very embarrassing incident involving peeing myself because I was too shy to let anyone know I needed a toilet in the crowd. Guess, there was a life lesson to be learned there…

Well, being 64 I still need a loo from time to time but I was prepared (asking what a mum always ask before leaving the house for a longer excursion, “have you been?”, except I’m now mum-sing myself!) when I hit the streets to see the carnival train, the highlight of the carnival! After two years of a pandemic it was a LOT of people, and you could feel the pent up excitement of being able to hit the streets again. Train after train arrived to the Central station to unload people, and in total a couple of hundred thousand (yes, that’s right!) arrived to watch and party.

I must admit, big crowds normally are not my thing, but it was a very friendly atmosphere and a lot of policemen and appointed safety-groups (students) around. The party started on the Friday, so when the carnival-train went on Saturday the participants were probably already a bit hungover, and by Sunday’s parade it was a lot more “gotta do this”-athmosphere than “wanna do this-party”!! It was a lot of fun watching though!! I wish I could upload some videos I made, but WP will not let me do that unless I pay for a Premium account, and that will not happen, so a couple of photos will have to do…

I’m surprised the carnival was such an easy-going affair, despite the crowds and the drinking, but the truth is it was just like any Friday and Saturday night! 

I’ve really really enjoyed the Sakura-theme in the parks and plantations around town. It has been the most beautiful Spring ever!

And walked I have done – I’ve written one exam in Japanese history and I’ve written pages of text and sent them to my Creative Writing-class, but in between assignments I have walked!

Now it is soon summer and my summer project is to finish writing my novel. Do you want to come on that journey with me?