Oktoberfest in Munich

The trip to Oktoberfest was most definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. There are definitely a few things one needs to know before going, but we just happened to be lucky enough to figure out how to have fun with minimal pre-planning!

Picture this if you will...boarding a train in Salzburg, and sitting across the aisle from three German men - who had already started drinking. Keep in mind that this was at 8.30 in the morning. At that point, we knew we were in for a treat. Upon our arrival in Munich at approximately 10.40, we were greeted by a station filled to the brim with people sporting lederhosen and drindles. For the first time in my life, I felt like I stuck out for wearing seemingly normal clothing. Even the younger people had traditional lederhosen and drindles on (albeit much shorter and bustier drindles).

As we exited the train station, we found that we wouldn't have to worry about the American faux-pas of drinking before noon. Effectively everyone over the age of fifteen had a bier in hand. (Often times accompanied by a large pretzel in the other hand) Not knowing exactly where we should be going, we did about the only thing we knew would work - follow the crowd. This led us to a main street, along which the parade went down. At this point, it became impossible to stay in our large group, so Al, Madelaine, Charlie and I broke off.

The Oktoberfest parade varies a bit from your typical American parades. Rather than tacky floats stuck in between groups of children attempting cartwheels and shriners zipping by in miniature cars, this parade consisted of oompah bands, horse-drawn carts (each designated to a different brewery) carrying kegs of bier, and horse drawn carts carrying people clad in (you guessed it) drindles and lederhosen. The carts, along with the horses, were lavishly decorated, and the people lucky enough to be carted around each had a bier in hand. I can't even tell you how many different carts went by...let's just say the parade lasted about a half-hour.

At the end of the parade, the crowd fell in line and followed. So what did we do? Followed the crowd, of course! (Being careful not to step in horse-droppings along the way...) After about 15 minutes, we came upon the glory that is Oktoberfest. When you first arrive, it seems like nothing more than a carnival of sorts. There were rides, various food stands, and these cute lebkuchen heart stands with messages written on them. Yep, just like any other carnival...until...you get to the bier tents. Holy lord, they were enormous. (Tents is not a great way to describe them - they're actually wooden structures that are re-built every year)

Much to our dismay, every one of these tents (and every biergarten) was full. Apparently there are about 100,000 seats, and we heard later that there were about 5 million people there when we went. (Maybe going on the opening day wasn't that bright of an idea...) The tricky part about Oktoberfest, is that in order to be served bier, you have to find a seat. NONE of the vendors sold bier. You can imagine how frustrated we were getting after about an hour of searching for a seat, as little old ladies were lugging around about 10 one-litre steins of fest-bier at a time. Finally, we decided to just hang around a biergarten, and hope to find a spot eventually.

We went to the Augustiner, seeing as it is a local favorite. (Who better to trust than the locals???) We did our best to avoid the Hofbrau tent, seeing as it is a stereotypical bier tent for Americans, New Zealanders, and other tourists (We even heard a German remark on that as we passed the tent). We had the unbelievable luck of coming up to a table just as another group was leaving. We awkwardly sat next to a group of five Germans, and were positive that we were receiving some rather annoyed looks. However, as soon as we started talking in German to them, the tone lightened up ENORMOUSLY. By the time we left, we were practically buddies. Not only were the four of us lucky enough to find seats, but the rest of our group was (despite all odds) able to grab the table next to us as another group left!

Of course, you must be wondering about fest-bier. Fest bier is brewed especially for Oktoberfest. Not only does it taste much better than regular bier, it has a much higher alcohol content as well. (Probably for the sake of the little women carrying the bier around...) After about a half-litre, we were all feeling pretty good. No wonder people can spend all day at these tables! By the time we got up to leave, we had each had two litres (definitely a good stopping point). We said goodbye to our new German friends (who had become even friendlier following another litre of bier) and miraculously found our way back to the train station - thanks to Charlie's sense of direction. We had a quick snack (Al was particularly thrilled that there was an ice cream stand) and hopped on the train.

As I said before - I would highly recommend Oktoberfest. It's an experience everyone should have. However, that being said, I wouldn't recommend going on the first weekend. Also, have enough patience to find a seat...the reward is worth the wait! :)

p.s. - once again, cannot upload pictures. Hopefully once I get the internet in my room, this will function a bit better!