The smokiness in this picture, just above the toros (bulls), is in fact smoke.  Jesters, both on stilts and foot, lite off various fireworks along the street.  Sparks were shooting everywhere, including the crowd, but these mighty bulls don’t seem to be alarmed at all.  I guess a few sparking fireworks are nothing compared to an enraged Matador!

Children in Spain are loved by all and they are very, very well taken care of.  It is not uncommon for children to wear nicer clothes than their parents.  This takes place in America as well, however is tagged with negative connotations.  We would label this as spoiling, but in Spain this is custom.  Children are celebrated and not only do their parents of children treat them like royalty, but everyone else who takes a part in their upbringing as well.

Check out the awesome head dresses, and the facial expressions!

That little redhead in bottom right sure is a feisty thing!  Don’t mess.

We witnessed this troupe practicing their lineup and routine in one of the sides streets prior to the parade.  Seeing these guys all gussied up was our first clue to the festivities taking place.

These were some of the Moorish costumes.  I wasn’t able to get a clip of any of the dance performances, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t happen!  Dancing troupes like those pictured below flipped, leaped, and twirled down the street, maintaining great facial expressions while doing so!

And dancing hawks….

There was actually a hawk master (if you will) walking just behind this troupe with a trained hawk that would fly out overhead and then obediently return to his perch on the master’s arm.  It pretty much rocked.

Spaniards are very expressive and people oriented.  I love this picture simply because of all the different interactions taking place.  Grandma and Grandpa, los ninos (the children), and the wide-eyed hombre in the rear.  Ha!  Can you spot the gold digger? (Gold Digger’s location: Left of wide-eyed hombre)

Here are some more sweet costumes.  We watched this parade for over two hours and it wasn’t even half over.

Horses pranced along the streets with some very fancy footwork!  I was absolutely blown away at how close the horses got to the onlookers.  Their stomping hooves were within feet of the crowd.  This would never fly in the US.  Some idiot would get stepped on, sue the horse and its mother, and then of course we would just give everyone that attended a trophy and outlaw it for next year.

Knights of the Holy Grail anyone?  We were actually able to see the Holy Grail, among other interesting artifacts, while we were in Spain.  (The Holy Grail, meaning the cup Jesus used in the last supper.)  There will be later posts to come with more about Spain, and the Holy Grail…no worries.

A Spanish French Horn player.  Definately a winning combination.

And the final view of it all.  !Me Encanta! (I love it!)

I came home to a calm and cool apartment. Poured some cereal, splashed on some milk and hunkered down in bed for a little sitcom entertainment. Now I’m up blogging and enjoying the carefree joy of surfing the web and pondering how awesome it feels to be on my own. Sitting down with a cup of tea, chillin’ out in my very own apartment. I would definitely recommend this to any young female trying to find themselves in this big, bad world. This is what I call a “Care Bear Moment”. In other words, I feel as though at any moment, my chest could burst open and a bazilion tiny hearts would shine out as in the traditional Care Bear Stare. The Care Bears were one of my most cherished childhood cartoons. Despite all the current events happening around us, there is so much to be happy about. I love bright colors. I love rays of sun that come through the trees and into windows. I love catching tiny crabs you find while walking on the beach at sunset. I love good jazz, hot tea, and fresh socks. I am crazy about funky coffee shops and good books on the couch. Lets not forget warm, cozy mornings when you wake up right before the alarm goes off and you have just enough time to snuggle down into your pillow and really take in all its greatness. Pens that write well, cheerful smiles on faces, and the innocence of children. Today at work there were a lot of little kids on the floor. Some were there to visit, some were accompanying someone home, but each was so cute. Little faces that smile and giggle at simple joys.

It’s true that there are unfortunate things that happen and sad moments to every day, but life is what you make of it. There is always some good that comes of sad events and some fortune to the misfortune. Sometimes its hard to see the good parts of the day, but they are always there. Life is Good. So are Care Bear Moments.

Tonights Care Bear Moment partly contributed by Tiny Crab pictured above. He was not injured in the making of this photo.