Carneval and preparations for Andalucia

Hey gang...

So this weekend we have an excursion planned for Andalucia, which is a big region in the south of Spain. We're visiting Granada, Sevilla, and Corodba...in that order I believe. Andalucia is renowned for having a significant amount of Muslim and Arabic influence compared to the rest of Spain, so that will provide a lot of new things to see. Carneval is a big celebration here, kind of like Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but much cleaner. In fact, more like Halloween for 5 days in preparations for Lent. People do some cool stuff though. I didn't see anything past the perimeters of Segovia, but I was told that people get way into it in other Spanish cities, like Cadiz, or Canary Islands. People dress up in bigger groups with...matching costumes. Like for example, the other day I saw a group of kids dressed up like the kids from Grease. I have an "intercambio" who I hang out with to practice my Spanish and he practices his English named Jesus who's a Bio prof at my University, and he was saying that people dress up like characters from Star Wars, for example, and interact with the people around them as that character would. So, imagine Luke Skywalker, in the midst of a light saber battle with Darth Vader while flying a Republic attack cruiser...all while ordering a drink. THAT's how into it people are. And that's neat.
I'll probably take my computer with me, as it IS a longer trip and I don't want to be totally disconnected from the world...assuming I can pick up a signal. If all else, I will have endless access to Spider Solitaire and Hearts. ...Plus a couple DVD's.

:)