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Oktoberfest- Beer, Pretzels and Chicken
Entry 24 of 25 | show all | print this entry |
You may remember back in my entry about the train trip to Moscow that we were invited by our German friend Thomas to stay with him in Munich for Oktoberfest. Unfortunately our other traveling buddies from the train had to go home and resume normal life so they couldn't make it, but for a couple of travelers like us we were able to re-arranged a few plans, organise a few dates and before we knew it we were emailing Thomas to let him know that we would be there in a few days!
We arrived on Thursday 26 Sept and Thomas was such a great host that he had stocked the cupboard and the fridge with just about everything he could imagine that we might eat, and over a few drinks we had a short history lesson on Bavaria (Thomas is a school teacher). That night we went out for a traditional Bavarian dinner with Thomas and his friend Rein (another big German lad). The plate servings were certainly Bavarian size and Si struggled to get through 3 pieces of Turkey schnitzel that were as big as his head. For Rein and Thomas this was a just a regular dinner.
Friday Si and I went for a wonder around Munich city centre but lets face it, we were there for the good times and the beer. At 5pm Thomas, Rein, Si and I headed to the Oktoberfest. Thomas and Rein were dressed in their traditional Ledenhosen. Both had matching outfits that were hand made and embroidered with their initials, with hand knitted knee high socks. They looked fantastic! At the time though we were not aware that just about everybody wears their traditional dress to Oktoberfest so when we got there we were amazed at all the costumes! The girls looked great in their traditional dresses but I think they should change the name to "Oktober-breast" as those dresses certainly flattered the chest!
As we walked into the grounds our first impression was that of the Royal Show but on a larger scale. The grounds had roller coaster rides, sideshow alley, shooting games etc like any other carnival. The 'tents' are along the back. We had always heard them referred to as 'tents' so we imagined they were going to be marquees (something like the ones at Perth cup but bigger), but they are not tents at all, they are massive halls! Also, you usually have to line up from early in the morning to get in but as Thomas knows the security there after a few words we walked right in. Our tent was the Hacka tent which was a very traditional tent for Germans, not tourists so it was very authentic. It was also the best tent in terms of the decorations. There was a big stage in the middle where the band played a mix or Germans songs and western rock anthems (even ACDC). The whole tent was also decorated like heaven so it had clouds in the sky...you have to see the photos. Now, to get served you need to be sitting at a table but once again Thomas knew one of the waitresses so she said we could sit at a reserved table for an hour or so. Then we order our beers, the much anticipated 1L of beer! It was really heavy and I struggled to raise my glass for our first toast (because I was holding it wrong-there is a way of doing it so you don't break your hand!). From there on in there was many toasts, many litres of beer, singing and dancing on benches. Thomas' friends embraced us like locals and looked after us very well. should also mention the food at Oktoberfest. There are people going round with baskets selling pretzels that you need two hands to hold, so when you have drunk a bit too much beer you can soak it up with a big salty pretzel. The other food option (after you have drunk even more beer) is half a chicken served up on a plate. The chicken is a good idea for these big Bavarian lads who can eat and drink a lot. Basically the night was fantastic, like nothing we had ever been to before....so many people singing and dancing and spilling beer and having a great old time. After wards Thomas and his friends were heading off to a club but as we were only on night 1 of our 3 day Oktoberfest I opted to go home, which I think was a good idea!
Oktoberfest Day 2- This was Italian day where just about all of Italy floods into Munich. By 2pm there was Italians passed out on the side of the hill and this was pretty funny. Unfortunately though this meant that security was tighter so we couldn't get into the same tent with Thomas that day. This was OK though as we wanted to catch up with Tom, who we met in Laos, who was also in Munich. We met Tom and his sister Sylvia and friend Chris and we lined up at another tent for a few hours, eventually getting in about 6pm. Once again, a night of beer, singing, dancing, pretzels and chicken.
Oktoberfest Day 3- We managed to fit in a but of sightseeing. Thomas took us to this really beautiful palace and gardens just outside the city centre. About 5pm we went back to Oktoberfest but is was a lot more chilled out being a Sunday. We joined Thomas' friends in the beer garden where we met even more of his great friends and then later in the night headed over to the Hacka tent for a slightly tamer night.
We had such a great time in Munich, it was crazy but we were really fortunate to have Thomas there and we really appreciated staying with him and having him there to throw us into the local culture of the festival :-) We also made some great friends and we hope they come visit us in the UK. We have invited them to St Patrick's Day so we can show them how the Irish do it!
On the Monday we caught the bus back to Berlin where we would hang out for a few days before flying to the UK.
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| 24. | Oktoberfest- Beer, Pretzels and Chicken - Munich, Germany Sep 29, 2007 |
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