All about Mardi Gras... in Germany

In southern Germany, carnival is a very popular celebration. It begins on the Thursday before Mardi Gras and includes a series of parades.

In Cologne, the city's carnival is one of the best-known in Europe. Its parade of floats brings out more than a million spectators.

Here the emphasis is more on costumes and parades. When the celebrants get hungry, there are tons of pancakes to eat, plain, or with apples and caramel. 

In Berlin, parades wait until May for the culture festival that takes place in the multi-ethnic neighborhood of Kreuzberg.