This little girl sums up how everyone in Venice was feeling yesterday. The sun was shining and it felt like spring.  What’s more the Venice carnival had begun!

The opening ceremony part one took place on Saturday evening and involved two dragon floats bellowing smoke plus some fun street bands that entertained us well into the night. Venetians came out in costume for the occasion, and with glasses of ‘vino rosso’ from the local bars  at just 1.50 euros a glass how could we not have fun?!

The second day involved a flotilla of boats led by a giant rat (I’m not sure why but it appears to be an annual custom) which released yet more smoke as well as hundreds of balloons. Thanks to the lovely weather,  plenty of confetti and yet more music, the atmosphere was again fantastic. And this time the wine was free, along with delicious ‘pasta fagiloi’ dished out from stallls along the canal-side.

If the last couple of days is anything to go by, I’ve a feeling this carnival is going to be a lot of fun!

You can see more photos in my Venice Carnival gallery, which I’ll be updating regularly throughout the next couple of weeks.