Went for the Bier - Fell in LOVE with the Chicken!
Last weekend was Oktoberfest. In Munich, Germany. The 200th Anniversary of Oktoberfest actually and it was AWESOME! What an experience! My friend Mary, a coworker from the homeland, was in Germany at BASF's headquarters for the week. We drove over Saturday morning after spending the evening in Mannheim, Germany. Jeremy was in Germany last week as well, so I was able to spend a brief 12 hours with him (better than nothing!).
So, Oktoberfest! Mary and I were in Munich for about 15 minutes before making our way toward the fairgrounds (stopping for a few "primer" biers along the way - I mean, hey, we didn't know how bad the crowds would be and how long until we'd be served. A couple biers go a LONG way in the patience threshold you know, it was really a public service). Munich's population is about 1.5 M people... and well, during Oktoberfest, more than 6M people attend over 15 days. Crazy. The walk into the fairgrounds was packed with men wearing lederhosen (great socks!), women wearing dirndl (awkward Halloween-costume-ish), small children, tourists, the overwhelming smell of bier mixed with urine. We have made it. Walking into the fairgrounds, I didn't quite expect the scene. I wasn't thinking Carnival rides and games and cheap trinkets, but yes, that is Oktoberfest.
I had read online that you need to make reservations for the bier tents. By the time we decided we could actually go, we couldn't get a reservation. Luckily, 2 gals (that don't take up too much space on a bench) can easily find their way inside a tent (or 2.. or was it 3... no, no 4). Anyways, we had no trouble getting in and making plenty of new friends. A lovely local couple the first night that nearly had me spewing my beer when the lady asked if I had a facebook so she could "friend" me. We also meet a few creepers, but thats all part of the experience. On Sunday we were seated inside the Hippodrome tent with 4 guys from Denmark. Hilarious! They wore great hats, sang fun drinking songs, took a turn blowing into the Camilla's breath-a-lizer (for sport - you get a cool certificate if you blow over the legal limit - Mary and I are thinking of taking that to the States, but thinking lawsuits would ensue for certain!) and yelled out Prost! about every 5 minutes. Needless to say, Mary and I had a great time.
Last weekend was Oktoberfest. In Munich, Germany. The 200th Anniversary of Oktoberfest actually and it was AWESOME! What an experience! My friend Mary, a coworker from the homeland, was in Germany at BASF's headquarters for the week. We drove over Saturday morning after spending the evening in Mannheim, Germany. Jeremy was in Germany last week as well, so I was able to spend a brief 12 hours with him (better than nothing!). 
So, Oktoberfest! Mary and I were in Munich for about 15 minutes before making our way toward the fairgrounds (stopping for a few "primer" biers along the way - I mean, hey, we didn't know how bad the crowds would be and how long until we'd be served. A couple biers go a LONG way in the patience threshold you know, it was really a public service). Munich's population is about 1.5 M people... and well, during Oktoberfest, more than 6M people attend over 15 days. Crazy. The walk into the fairgrounds was packed with men wearing lederhosen (great socks!), women wearing dirndl (awkward Halloween-costume-ish), small children, tourists, the overwhelming smell of bier mixed with urine. We have made it. Walking into the fairgrounds, I didn't quite expect the scene. I wasn't thinking Carnival rides and games and cheap trinkets, but yes, that is Oktoberfest. 
I had read online that you need to make reservations for the bier tents. By the time we decided we could actually go, we couldn't get a reservation. Luckily, 2 gals (that don't take up too much space on a bench) can easily find their way inside a tent (or 2.. or was it 3... no, no 4). Anyways, we had no trouble getting in and making plenty of new friends. A lovely local couple the first night that nearly had me spewing my beer when the lady asked if I had a facebook so she could "friend" me. We also meet a few creepers, but thats all part of the experience. On Sunday we were seated inside the Hippodrome tent with 4 guys from Denmark. Hilarious! They wore great hats, sang fun drinking songs, took a turn blowing into the Camilla's breath-a-lizer (for sport - you get a cool certificate if you blow over the legal limit - Mary and I are thinking of taking that to the States, but thinking lawsuits would ensue for certain!) and yelled out Prost! about every 5 minutes. Needless to say, Mary and I had a great time.
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