Ostatki is the Polish name for the last day of Carnival. And while the festivities aren’t quite as outrageous as New Orleans or Rio, there is certainly some fun to be found.

For out part, we stumbled into a unique and memorable party in the little town ofKudowa-Zdrój, a little old spa and resort town on the Czech border. We went out looking for a good traditional Polish dinner to celebrate the evening. But the only traditional Polish restaurant we could find was packed with close to 100 Polish pensioners having a big evening out. After some sweet talking from my Polish buddies, the owner decided to give us his personal table, so us tourists could have an authentic Polish experience.

We started off the night getting a kick out of watching all the older folks dance. But after we delved into the vodka shots and herring that they had been enjoying for a while before we got there, we got right up and joined them on the dance floor. The music was perfect, two guys on synthesizers playing traditional Polish songs, including one that instructed people to sit down and drink vodka every 15-20 minutes. Amazing.

Alina stole the show, as you can tell from the crowd circling around her, and by the end of the night we were all dancing together with the handful of older folks that stayed out after 22:00.

Video from earlier in the night when we were still a bit timid about getting up and dancing:

Saturday night’s party was a great time. And as it’s a regular event, I would recommend anyone around Brussels check it out next time the party comes around. I went on my own, which can always be a bit of a challenge. Thankfully I wore a good prop. My big white hat would be snatched of my head, and I knew I I’d had a new group of friends to dance with. Some pictures of the heads my hat found itself on below.

A friend of mine let me know about a party in Brussels this weekend (advert on the right). I’ve never been to Brussels, so I grabbed some cheap train tickets and I’m headed over there after work today. I’ve heard mixed things about Brussels, but I figured as long as I had a good excuse I might as well check it out.

This is something that I was silly not to do while I lived in Washington, DC. I had plenty of friends in NYC who would send me party invites and offer places to sleep, but I never really took advantage of the opportunity. I feel silly thinking about it now because a train there isn’t really that expensive, and it really helps to have a weekend away every now and then. So here I go!