Munich

My next stop was Munich. I was finally returning after 12 years, and this time it was to celebrate Oktoberfest. Excellent.

I arrived at my new friend Philip's place, and put together some semblance of an outfit that would pass for Oktoberfest. Philip and Kaj were clothed in traditional lederhosen like most of the guys. I didn't really want to spend the money on a dirndl, so I wore a black dress and my checkered flannel shirt. I had a dress and checkers. That was the best I could pull off.

Once we were decked out, Philip played tourist guide for a little bit. We walked along the Isar River. It was lovely weather, so there were a bunch of sunbathers and swimmers out. 

Sunbathers.

Lederhosen.

Then we got some delicious food and our first beer to kick off Oktoberfest.

Pre-Oktoberfest meal.

Once we were fed, we headed to Oktoberfest. Now I really didn't have an expectations and maybe that was good. I knew there was beer, and since I'm part German (don't ask how much), I just wanted to partake in the festivities at some point in my life.

We arrived and I felt like I was at a small state fair. There were people everywhere, food stalls, and amusement rides. That I didn't expect. The fair-like vibe. We also got a glimpse at the beer tents. And they were massive. This is no rinky dinky beer tent like back home. These temporary structures can hold up to 5,000 people. Yikes.

We decided to go into the Hacker-Festhalle tent, known for the sky murals on the ceiling, at Philip's suggestion. He is the expert since he goes several days throughout Oktoberfest, and has been going for the last several years. He's from Munich, so he's been going since he was a kid.

We found a spot in the middle and soon made friends. We joined them at their table and promptly got on the benches to dance along to Sweet Caroline and a bunch of German songs that I got really good at pretending I knew.

Prost.

New friends.

The beer tents close around 10 or 10 :30. Which is probably a good thing. Get everyone out of there, so they can recover for the following day. Since we had an early dinner, we did get a bit hungry. I of course was looking for a  New York pizzeria. But of course there was only a Burger King at the train stop. I got fries.

The next morning, I didn't have much of a hangover, which was a bit surprising, given the amount of beer I consumed. I did wake up with a ton of bruises on my shins though. Have 6 people dance on a bench while drinking liters of beers, means they will fall over a few times during the evening. We proceeded room eat some breakfast, shower, put our outfits back on and head back to Oktoberfest. Since it was Friday, we wanted to be sure we got inside a tent before it closed. We took a roadie for the ride and we arrived in the afternoon. We walked around a different part of the grounds.   

We went into the Schützen-Festzelt tent and sat in the biergarten for a couple of liters. Keeping an eye on the door of course. We wanted to be sure we got inside before it closed on us. Fortunately it was so nice, that a lot of people had the same idea and the doors didn't close for a while. But once they were, we hurried inside. We had another good afternoon and evening of dancing, drinking and making new friends.      

Oktoberfest.

This is considered a small tent.

Second night of Oktoberfest.

On the 3rd day, I wasn't sure if I was going to make it to Oktoberfest. Fortunately since I had paced myself the night before, I woke up in a similar fashion as the day before. I did get some laundry done. So I wasn't only drinking while I was in Munich. And then figured, I should make one last appearance. A smaller group of us headed to the Käfer's Wies'n-Schänke tent, where the celebrities hang out. Although I didn't see any celebrities ( I was secretly hoping for  David Hasselhoff spotting), it was a fun spot to be outside. There wasn't any dancing on benches but I still had a wonderful time. 

Käfer's Wies'n-Schänke.

Beer goals.

As I was confirming the beer tents names on the Oktoberfest website I came cross the lost and found. I just had to share. 

At the end of the Oktoberfest, the lost and found office had collected about 2915 items: 680 pieces of clothing, 660 wallets, 580 passports, 410 (smart)phones, 250 glasses, 220 keys, 90 bags and rucksacks, 55 umbrellas and canes, 55 pieces of jewelry and watches and 15 cameras.

Notable finds were: One pair of brown and one pair of beige high heels, a pair of children's leather pants, black cotton trousers, one jeans, two novels "Nie wieder Blondinen" with a dedication in them, an iPad, two GoPros, a pink camera, a doctor's certificate for work disability for the duration of the Oktoberfest, one box of Paracetamol, two hearing aids, 510.10€ in cash and a municipal time card. One gentleman claimed to have lost his "old lady", but could not be helped at the lost and found office.

I didn't lose anything but it was entertaining to read through the list. I did find new friends, 2 German kisses, and a desire to return again one day.

On my last day in Munich, I spent a short amount of time sightseeing. Which included the Frauenkirche and Glockenspiel. After that, it was time to head south and recover from all that beer.

Frauenkirche.

Glockenspiel.

Next stop: Füssen and the Disney castle.