I am very happy to let everyone know that I survived Oktoberfest. I returned to Roma with a newfound love for hofbrauhaus beer, prosting, pretzels, lederhosen and sausage for breakfast. The beer festival was everything I imagined it would be and more. Sometimes with an event as popular as this you may end up disappointed because of high expectations, but I have to hand it to the Germans-they know how to have a good time.
First impressions are key and after my plane landed in Munich, I was greeted by two young girls dressed in dirndls who handed me a fresh pretzel...FOR FREE!! Did I land in German heaven?? I think so...
Taking the train from the airport to our hostel was almost as exciting as Oktoberfest itself. Young children were dressed in the authentic German attire, while the older crowd were trying(not very successfully) to hide the fact that they've had one too many steins already-and they weren't even at the fairgrounds yet!!
Although booking it to the Oktoberfest tents the first night was quite tempting, Steph and I decided instead to treat ourselves to an authentic Bavarian meal at an adorable little place she spotted earlier in the day. We started off with an enormous pretzel that you dip in cheese(you'll notice a pretzel trend throughout this post), followed by an out-of-this-world pork roast. Note: I made a promise to myself that this would be a pasta-free, pizza-free, panino-free weekend....I needed a detox and Germany was my answer.
When we returned to our hostel around 11pm we were ready to call it a night, but our 4 Belgian suite mates had other plans. As they started stumbling back into our hostel from a beer-filled day/night at Oktoberfest, they became more and more adamant that their 2 new female suite mates must not go to bed so early...lucky us(sense the sarcasm?) They loved Harvard, US politics, the Boston Celtics, Oreos and now us. Steph and I eventually gave into the fact that these guys were not going to let us sleep peacefully, so we just continued chatting...until 3:30am!!! That's when I put my foot down--we had to wake up in 3 hrs to go to the tents if we wanted to have any chance of having a seat. The whole "going-to-bed" thing, as well as the "being-quiet" thing wasn't really working for them, but after an hour of tossing and turning....I finally feel asleep. at 4:30. For 2 hours. Espresso before the tents was a MUST.
If you ever ask for directions within a 2-3 mile vicinity of the Oktoberfest fairgrounds, you must be walking with your eyes closed and your ears covered. There is no need for maps, just follow the lederhosen, dirndls, German drinking songs and mass crowds of people. I've never seen anything like the scene from the stairs of the train station by the fairgrounds-everyone was at a complete standstill...it was CHAOS and I loved it :)
At 7am(yes...that early), after following the crowds and crowds of thirsty individuals to the tents, Steph and I were on a mission: find our tent of choice, get in line, and when the doors open-RUNNNN. We did just that and I must say that the sprinting + pouring rain + muddy fairgrounds + this all being in the name of beer for breakfast = one of my favorite moments of the trip. Have you ever watched the running of the brides for discount gowns? Multiply that by 10 and you have the Oktoberfest dash to find a tent and table. People were falling. It was an experience.
Steph and I finally settled in at the Hofbrauhaus tent and found a table next to a crowd of Italians(surprised?), two American girls studying in Switzerland and five German men. Who is at your table is key for several reasons at Oktoberfest: a. you are basically attached at the hip because it is so crowded b. you never leave your spot c. having a boring group of early-morning drinking partners is never fun, right? I had a great time throughout the day working on my language skills with the Italians and learning a bit more about the Bavarian culture from our new German friends.
the beer wasn't all that bad either....
After being in the tent for what seemed like 2 days, we ventured around the festival grounds. It is an adult Disneyland complete with fried food, games and tons of rides. We all know I'm not the biggest fan of things that go high and spin quickly(thanks for the adventurous gene Mom & Dad), so I wasn't really jumping at the chance to ride the rides..I also just had sausage and several steins of beer-I saw this going badly.
Our full day at Oktoberfest was an experience of a lifetime. Hearing about it and seeing it in pictures is one thing, but drinking the beer, meeting the people and living it for a short time is quite another.
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