Sept 22-23 - MUNICH!
OKTOBERFEST!!!
It’s been a wild couple of days, so I didn’t have time to write. We just left Munich, Germany where it was Oktoberfest. Holy cow folks, what a party scene. At the U-Bahn train station full of thousands of partiers in costume, various states of sobriety (or not) with an equally unparalleled drive to get to the fairgrounds, I had my first WOW moment of the tour, and knew we were in for an interesting experience. We stayed at Hotel Ibis, which was modern and had nicely engineered plumbing (finally!)
Munich has an incredible public transportation system with busses, subways and trains, not to mention a gazillion German engineered cars. But the party people don’t drive, don’t need to, so believe me when I say: THEY PARTY. There are 8 enormous “beer tents” (not a tent as you know it) which holds approx 6000 people each. Some are 3 stories high. There, people book a seat at a table where they can order liters of German beer of all kinds, no limit, for about 9 euro each (about $12.) Several of the guys in our group had 2-4 liters. Some of the women had 1-2 liters. Me, not liking beer, merely posed for beer drinking photos, with the beer as a prop! When we get to Italy, I’ll be in my element, thank you very much! The winner was Kevin, coming in at about 4.5 liters if I'm not mistaken. That seems impossible, but folks, it happened. Stephen didn't do too bad himself. It should be an interesting morning. Heather had the good fortune to get groped in a beer hall. Go Heather! It's all in good fun.
I didn't get into a beer hall. Have to go next year I guess! At the fairgrounds you will find the hugest array of carnival rides you’ve ever seen in your life, hands down. Many are possibly German engineered (I'm making that up) and death defying, I kid you not! There are hundreds of outdoor food stands, most grilling every kind of sausage you can envision, and baking breads, nuts, pastries, and more sausage of course. For 3 euro you can get a foot long grilled sausage served with German mustard on a freshly baked ciabatta type roll (no hot dog buns there) and it’s piping hot. The aromas are amazing. At one stand you smell spicy sweet peppery German sausage, at the next you smell butter and cinnamon and yeast, and at the next you smell all kinds of varieties of nuts coated in dozens of different ways, freshly prepared and served warm to you in a paper cone.
All around you are people in costume, singing, swaying, reveling, mobbing to get to the beer tents, stopping to enjoy street musicians, young men in lederhosen ogling the hundreds of sexy fraulein who all dress like a provocative German and Austrian bar and milkmaids, including 3 to 4 inch heels and cleavage that knows no bounds. Lots of people bring their children, without fear. You see no security people around, and yet there is no public unrest or danger (except stepping in vomit, but I only saw that in the train station.)
I’m so short that I get lost easily in such a crowd, not only because I’m short, but because well, I just get lost. Stephen led a few of us around thank heavens, and he’s very tall so I could usually see him above the people that staggered between us as we pushed our way to get our sausage and see the spectacle. I had to do the puppy thing to keep up. One of the beer halls (3 stories high) is called "Nymphenburg Sext" on it, which strikes me funny and I take a pic to show my nephew. I tell Jude it's the porn tent.
Towards the end of the evening, our group meets in the hotel bar for MORE beer and mixed drinks and wine, because we need to "fit in" with the locals and all the other drunks. There are lots of crazy party hats being worn. Stephen appreciates the "whole new level of swagger" we saw on Ken with his party hat. Ken does look pretty happy and Sue is looking at him adoringly. I feel warmed by that. So delightful.
I am at the bar with Brenda and commit a PARTY FOUL by knocking her glass of wine over and shattering the glass! Nobody seems to care, and Brenda (who looks like a naughty fraulein in the photo I take of her) laughs it off and suggests I get another drink. I do :)
The morning of the first day, Stephen took us on a walking tour, and we ended at the Glockenspiel in Marienplatz. The Glockenspiel is a huge medieval looking building that wows us. I think for sure I can't get lost with this kind of landmark. I was wrong of course, but you know, always hoping. We had the day to ourselves, and we divided up into two groups. The majority went to the Oktoberfest opening parade, and a smaller group (which I joined) went to the Dachau Concentration Camp. Most found the Camp very moving, but I was in a weird head space and got bored. I know, I know, shameful. Some of the other group got bored with the parade after 45 mins, so in the end, it all added up equally. I think everybody was just ready for a beer hall.
We toured the Residenz Museum, which is a kind of ornate palace. It sure looks different than my place back in Oregon. There are scary bouncers in each room. Nicole tries to merely touch a piece of furniture, and an androgenous she-man comes immediately to scold her. Yikes! I take photos of fancy ceilings and Latin signs. One of them says: Obedientia Civivm which means "Obediently Civil" in English. Come on Nicole, can't you read the signs? Get it together!
One of the nights, I forget, I think the first night, we are walking around the town or something....(blur) and everyone wants to go to dinner but it's pretty crowded with the festival in town. I'm not really interested in food, I'm kinda fooded out by now. Stephen has to run an errand to a luggage store so he lets me (literally) run with him for something different to do. After that we try and join our group at a restaurant but it's too crowded, and we wind up at a table for two. There are a gazillion people in there and it's a party atmosphere, with good food. Very cheerful. We had a really good dinner together, me wedged in a corner and kind of glad that there were only people in front of me and not surrounding me like the way it's been most of the time. The dinner event was actually very special for me, as it's very hard to get a quiet moment to get to know Stephen, and to just talk. He wants me to try his beer and gives me a taste of his dinner. The food is good and I really enjoy the time together and mark it off as one of my highlights.
Ok students, that’s your Oktoberfest lesson. Next stop: Venice, Italy . I’m Italian, so buckle up.
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