Weekend Trip #2: Oktoberfest in Munich

After I returned from Naples, I didn't have too much down time before I left for Germany to meet up with Kerry and Amelia, my best friends from Trinity who are also in study abroad programs (Kerry's in Stirling, Scotland and Amelia's in Copenhagen, Denmark).  I arrived in Munich Friday afternoon and Kerry and I met up with Amelia, Duyen (our other friend from Trinity), and their friend Julie (from Temple University), who are all in the same Danish abroad program.  We spent Friday night in a tent called Lowenbrau.  We went inside the tent but it was so crowded that we couldn't find a table.  We ended up settling in the outside seating area of the tent with some late 40-somethings who have known each other for over 30 years and meet up just once annually.  Their tradition is to have a yearly reunion every second weekend of Oktoberfest.  This weekend is actually known as "Italian weekend" to the locals because so many Italians flock to Oktoberfest for this specific weekend.  In fact, several of the guys at the table were from Italy (Milano) and a few were locals from Munich or the surrounding area.  Just like GeeGee, the old Italian guys warned us of young Italian men and their "intentions"--it was absolutely hilarious.  It was definitely a fun, relaxing night and the company was great, despite the age difference.

Kerry with some Oktoberfest pretzels

Inside of Lowenbrau tent

Outside seating in Lowenbrau

A typical one liter beer stein at Oktoberfest. Every tent has its unique crest on their stein. 

The tents close at 11 pm so we left Oktoberfest by 11:30 and caught the metro back to our hotel, which was about 20 minutes away.  We woke up at 7:30 on Saturday morning and headed back to the tents because it is almost impossible to find seating at a tent past 9 am on a weekend.  Even though we got to the tents a little later than we wanted to, we ended up getting outside seats with a group of people from Switzerland.  What I also didn't realize the night before is that Oktoberfest is actually a huge family event too; I saw countless German families (all dressed in lederhosen, of course) walking through the fair, playing carnival games, and going on different rides.

Hofbrau or "HB"--the tent we went to on Saturday

A group of guys in lederhosen. Judging by the hair, probably not German, but the outfits were typical of the German people at the fair.

One of the rides at the fair.  In my opinion, an awful life choice.

Lunch--quite possibly the best chicken I've had in a long time.  No, but seriously.

Reunited at Oktoberfest. Oh, and that's Haley from Trinity/TC Rome trying to get in on the action.

"Pass out" hill--a place of rest for the most ambitious of day-drinkers before the nighttime festivities

After our morning/afternoon in HB we took a break from the fair and headed to a local restaurant a few blocks away for an early dinner.  After dinner we headed back to HB, spent most of the night with some of my friends from the Trinity Rome program, and made some new friends from Milano.  They were in their 20s and absolutely hilarious.  They also tried to teach me how to roll my r's in Italian, but after a brief practice session we all agreed that I was a lost cause.  I've been practicing daily and still can't roll my r's, but that's another story.

My friend, Brian (right), and his new Italian boyfriend, Michele.

The always-chanting Italians at our table

The inside of HB tent right before it closed for the night

10 Things I learned at Oktoberfest:

1. How to say "Cheers!" in multiple languages: "Salute!" (Italian), "Prost!" (German), and "Skaal!" (Danish)
2. Such an event should most definitely be outlawed.  And those 14-year-old Germans should probably lay off the beer for at least a few more years.
3. Never, ever wear anything you like to these sort of things. Your clothes and shoes will smell. Forever.
4. Between all the chanting, whooping, and "Cheers!", beer steins are heavy enough to give your wrist and forearm a pretty solid workout.  I think I may hit a few home runs this year.
5. German is probably the most unattractive language known to man; it has far too many syllables and a dozen harsh consonants in every word.  However--though Germans sound like they're yelling at you when they speak in their native tongue--they aren't quite as scary as you would think (though it is a little scary how perfect and Aryan they all look).
6. Yes, German policemen are just as frightening as you imagined.  Times ten.
7. Despite its name, wiener schnitzel is not a hotdog by any means.  News to me.  I learned this the hard way at dinner, but I didn't mind because they had Heinz ketchup, which is one of my favorite things in the culinary world.  I'm pretty classy.
8. Just because you're spending your semester abroad in Rome doesn't mean you're actually Italian.  I found myself saying "thank you," "excuse me," and other phrases in Italian the entire trip.  A little embarrassing since I can't even roll my r's, but my limited Italian actually came in handy considering it was "Italian weekend."
9. All those comedy skits are right--German boys and men laugh like little girls.
10. It doesn't matter if you're three or 80--if you're German, you wear lederhosen.  So if you want to get to Oktoberfest or find some favorite spots of the locals, just follow those guys in the awkward brown pants and those women with a little too much pushed up on top.  They always know the way.

Overall, Oktoberfest was a crazy experience.  After all, it's the largest fair in the world, and attracts over six million people each year.  I don't think I'll ever have quite the same experience again, and I'm so glad I was able to share it with my some of my closest friends.  Even though there were thousands of people from around the world at the fair, I felt very immersed in German culture and tradition, and I really enjoyed seeing such camaraderie form among so many people from so many different backgrounds (even if it was just over a couple of beers).  And, I mean, come on, you gotta admit that it'll be pretty cool to start a story with "When I was at Oktoberfest..."