It was the time of Kölner Karneval in Cologne, or, as many of the locals preferred to call it, ‘die närrische Zeit’, the fifth and foolish season. Once a year, just after winter had ended, the city would host a huge carnival filled with parades, performers, and vendors hawking various foods and desserts, all enjoying a full weekend of madness celebrating the year to come.
— Small Things, Chapter 25