Oktoberfest

This past weekend was the weekend of Oktoberfest in Munich. 4 of the other Intermenno kids came down to stay with me and we crashed at a friend’s house in Ingolstadt (about an hour train ride outside of Munich).

To explain Oktoberfest, it is a bit like Vegas, there are drunken people everywhere, there are tits popping out of about every girls shirt, it’s pretty over-rated and well… what happens at Oktoberfest stays at Oktoberfest!

First let me explain the drunks, the first day we went into Munich we got there around 9 in the morning on the Friday and the crowd wasn’t too big but the tents were all already nearing maximum capacity. There were quite a few drunk people but no one has passed out on the street yet and people have refrained from puking their guts out in public at this point. Later on when we came back at night that is when the drunk people were stumbling around, puking and talking to themselves.

Boobs. If anyone has ever seen a Dirndl (the typical Bavarian dress, (Bavaria is a state inside of Germany)) then you know it does amazing things for the female form. However the people at Oktoberfest are not all young and beautiful, so when you get to see a bit of a show from some aging women, the dirndl somewhat loses its charm.

Overrated. Oktoberfest is over rated simply because the crowds are too big and no gets to see the real Munich. When people see Munich during Oktoberfest they often see it when it is jam packed with people and it super load, and if those two distractions aren’t enough to bother you, you are probably seeing Munich through drunk eyes. No matter how you see Munich during Oktoberfest, be sure to come back and see it again when it is calm and quiet and you have time to explore the city. Also a word of advice, if you want to see Munich and still want the Oktoberfest feel, almost every major town in Bavaria has Volksfests, where they serve beer by the liter, there are roller coasters, Dirndl and lederhosen. It’s pretty much everything you would get out of Oktoberfest, just in a smaller atmosphere, and where everything is cheaper!

What happens at Oktoberfest stay at Oktoberfest. This saying is not made because of embarrassing or risky things that happen at this festival it is simply because if you are drinking Oktoberfest beer (which is brewed to have a higher alcohol content) you probably won’t remember a whole lot of your night the next morning.

Now to quickly highlight my weekend! I had an amazing time hanging out with my friends from Intermenno. Three of them came Thursday night and we all spent the day in Munich on Friday, doing a walking tour, checking out Oktoberfest and trying to get into a beer tent. Jodi was coming Friday night so we gave up our hope or being let into a beer tent and headed back to Ingolstadt early to pick her up. Not wanting to trek all the way back to Munich (Oktoberfest shuts down around 12 anyway) we decided to explore the night life of Ingolstadt. In Ingolstadt we actually ended up at this dance club/ rec center/ community art project/ techno dj event/ random place where we got to go dancing which was quite interesting to say the least. Later we came back to the house we were staying to crash in the tent in the back yard. Saturday, again, we headed back to Oktoberfest to explore and check things out however it was crazy busy by the time we got there and it was obvious that the only way we could get into a beer tent would involve waiting in line for at least 3 hours. Instead of waiting in line we decided to go explore more of Munich. Rebecca, Andrew and Nolan all went to Dachau (a town a few subway stops away) and Jodi and I did a walking tour of Munich. (Side note: I love Munich a lot, so going on my third walking tour I am getting the hang of where things are and what their significance is. I’m hoping by the time my sister comes to visit I will be able to give the tour myself!) We all met up again around 6 and decided to hit up the Augustiner beer hall in Munich. Augustiner beer is wonderful like many German beers. (Germans’ truly don’t joke around when it comes to all things Beer!) Afterward we went to another bar where we had some more beer and later on we eventually found our way back to the train station and home. Although we all had moments that were not in our finest state, over all the weekend was a success and I can officially say I conquered Oktoberfest.

p.s the picture is of the 5 of us in my friends backyard where we camped out for the weekend! Thanks again Jutta and Holger!

today: train stations, sleep, officially 2 months in germany