When it comes to Carnival, the German cities of Cologne, Mainz and Düsseldorf readily spring to mind. But it can also be fun to see how smaller places mark the day. Although my former hometown of Griesheim, just outside of Darmstadt, in Hessen, has no strong carnival traditions of its own, by riding my bike just over to the next village, not more than five kilometers away, I was able to witness a parade of over one hundred floats. There are carnival events aplenty; you just have to know where to look. (The town I visited, incidentally, was Büttelborn, and in 2009, its parade will be held on Sunday, Feb. 21, starting at 2:11 p.m.)

You have just a few days left to organize a special holiday with your Valentine. Throughout Europe, many places will be helping the hopeful rev of the romance by offering special packages for the weekend of Feb. 14-15, 2009. If the best deals and packages are booked solid by the time you get around to formulating your plans, you could always push the festivities back by a day and make the romance happen from Sunday to Monday this year. After all, for many of us, President’s Day is a holiday.

Here are some Valentine’s Day ideas to get you started: