Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest proved to be everything you've ever heard about it and more. This was one of the more popular intern trips as far as a group traveling together. Twelve of us went on the last weekend ie first weekend of october ( other groups had gone the previous two weekends) and we stayed a a camp ground called the Tent. It was PACKED with other oktoberfesters from everywhere. We met a couple other canadians who were really great to talk to. Some really really really dirty/inappropriate belgians. they were actually disgusting. A guy from isreal who was totally high on life, ect.
We left on a thursday night and spent the train ride sing, drinking and generally causing an uproar. we met a bitter swiss guy who kinda hung out with us but professed his hatred of canadians because he'd gotten his girlfriend stolen by one and now they are getting married......

Friday morning we got up really early because we had been told that in order to get a table in the beer tents we needed to be the before ten. we were. well before in fact.

This is one of the beer tents. Not the first one we went into but this one was a little more decorated so i thought i'd put it up. There are apparently 14 tents, couldn't confirm that but i'll take their word for it and the biggest one holds 12000 revelers. Another really interesting to note is that germany passed a law that only water barley and hops were allowed in the brew. when yeast was discovered it was added as the forth legal ingredient. this means that as long as you stick to german beer, the next morning you will probably wake up feeling mostly fine since there weren't any chemicals polluting your drinks!

The steins (they are actually not steins but i can't remember their name...) were 1 L. The barmaids in the tents carried an average load of 12 1L steins. I saw at least one woman wearing wrist brace.... It must be terrible for the tennis elbow. There were also MASSIVE platters of food moving everywhere at once. Roast ducks and chickens, sauerkraut, sausages, cheese, and of course bretzels!

This is a plate that Luke and I ordered to share. The menu was german so we had no idea what we were getting... it was pretty good, a little weird. I still don't know what that pile of brown mush in the middle was.....

This is the beautifully decorated inside of the previous red beer tent. On the left hand side obscured by the giant hanging horse was a rise dais used as the stage. While we were sitting in the tent the live band arrived on stage. there were about 10 of them. All but the drummer carrying a stein and to the beat of said drummer, the band to a man chugged his beer to the enormous satisfaction of the crowd. It must give them that little something extra, you know, improves their music or something. They then entertained us with traditional german music. Almost every song was followed by a german drinking cheer... No wonder people don't last in these places.

Bruce holding a couple steins, Luke creeping in the background.

this is the meal i shared with Rachel Wong. It was extraordinary. This weekend was terrible for shear quantities of ingested food. I felt the need to try everything...

This was an elevated swing in the fair ground, I had never seen one before. Didn't go on it but it did look like a lot of fun! I did hit up the ferris wheel, a smallish roller coaster and then a really twisty ride that ended up being my last ride because it made me feel so gross. I don't understand why people like those ones...

I was trying to get a picture of the fair grounds when these gentlemen stumbled into my path.

Post oktoberfest, just relaxing. Almost all the boys bought hats as souvenirs, Rachel got a bag, I got this really cool necklace.

Rachel rocking Bruces hat.

We went for a bit of a stroll after the beer tents but before dinner and came upon Munich's standing wave. Very cool to watch, these guys were good.



This is the famous Haufbrauhaus. We spent sunday morning before we left here enjoying either the beer mixed with lemonade (very tasty) or regular beer and a delicious apfel(apple) strudel as well as another dumpling like dessert.

This is the new town hall. There is a ridiculous cuckoo-clock type scene that plays out at 11 every morning up in the green jutting windows it with the bell performance is know as the Glockenspiel.

This is a May pole, apparently they are strewn all over.

The lovely miss in the barmaid getup was our guide, Heidi, for the free walking tour that we did. She was very good, funny and full of stories.

This is a giant lego tower that had been built near the center of town. I didn't figure out why by thought it was neat nonetheless.

Just relaxing on the streets of munich.

Last but not least, during the tour, Heidi addressed some of the history, it was brief but informative. This particular golden path runs along what is known as Dodgers Alley. It is a memorial to those who refused to pass a plaque mounted further down the street that they were forced by Hitler to salute to as the went by.

Munich is a beautiful city and I would gladly go back simply to see the sites. The reconstruction that was done after the war adhered as closely as possible to the historical blueprints of the buildings. The germans are also good engineers....