Tammi, me, and Joe on the train to Munich!
We made it to Munich around 1:15 p.m., and headed on our quest to find Lederhosen for Joe, as he didn't find any in Reutlingen the day before.
We passed up the first few shops near the train station. Once we realized we were not going to find Lederhosen for much cheaper than 80 Euros, we stopped at a shop right off of the road we were taking to Oktoberfest. We found the type of Lederhosen Joe was searching for, and he tried them on... In the middle of the store. The shop owner actually told him that he could "drop trou" in the middle of the aisle to try these Lederhosen on. As Tammi and I turned our backs to give him some privacy, we couldn't stop laughing at the situation.
Joe ended up loving the dark, shorter Lederhosen that he tried on, and he was allowed to wear them on his way out. We continued on our way to Oktoberfest. It only took us about ten to fifteen minutes to get there!
The sights and smells, and just the feel of the Oktoberfest was, indeed, magical. I had heard others say it, but I supposed you have to experience something like this on your own before you can agree.
I grabbed a schnitzel sandwich right away when we walked into the fest.
Oktoberfest :)
There are rides, food stands, drink stands, and souvenir shops throughout all of Oktoberfest. It kind of reminded me of the Wisconsin State Fair that my family attends every year, but on a much bigger scale!
We attempted to find seats in a few of the beautifully decorated tents. The first two tents had not a seat in sight.
Tent at Oktoberfest
Tent at Oktoberfest
Tent at Oktoberfest
The tent we ended up in at Oktoberfest!
We decided, with our lack of luck at finding seats amongst the un-reserved seats in the tents, that we would hang out in the beer garden outside of the Lowenbrau tent. We each grabbed a beer and hung out.
The Biergarten at the Lowenbrau tent.
The Biergarten at the Lowenbrau tent.
After a while, a girl joined us. She explained how she was studying in Munich and that she is from Palestine. She really enjoyed Joe's English accent and stuck around for a bit. In fact, after she left, she returned about five minutes later with her friend to come and talk to us. They both invited us inside to their table in a reserved section where we could stand in the warmth for a bit. Needless to say, we accepted.
We danced, sang the songs that we knew, and drank our masses. At one point, Tammi and I headed to the restroom. The line was, of course, ridiculous! We ended up meeting a girl from the Rheinland. She was right before us in line. I initially asked if she was in line for the restroom, to which she responded "Was fuer Dialect ist das?!" in regards to my German. I responded, saying I was from the US, and that is why my German has an accent. I think she was surprised and also happy that I, an American, could speak German! I was also happy because she did not immediately switch from German to English, but allowed me the chance to practice what I know.
After the restroom, we decided to head to another tent. We ended up, after much confusion, meeting my Uncle Jay and friend, Mathias. While we were waiting, we took some pictures in front of the tent we were just in:
In front of the Lowenbrau tent.
We sat outside in the Biergarten of the Pauliner tent, where we all ordered a mass. It was wonderful to catch up with Jay and Mathias. Joe and Jay got into what seemed like a great conversation, and I just took in my surroundings... and took pictures, of course!
At the Pauliner Biergarten!
Jay, Mathias, me, Tammi, and Joe
Jay, Mathias, me, Tammi, and Joe
It was so great to catch up with an old friend!
Jay ended up getting us a huge pretzel to split, which was phenomenal, and later, a few Oktoberfest chickens!
Prost!
We also made a few new friends at our table. These gentlemen from Ireland were extremely nice, and were also our photographers for part of the night.
Overall, the day and that night were extremely successful. I think we spent the perfect amount of time at Oktoberfest. Jay escorted us back to the Hauptbahnhof to catch our train.
Thanks for the wonderful evening, Jay!
We were exhausted on the way home, but it didn't matter. We got to spend the day experiencing one of the best places on earth. I look forward to the next time I get to go to the Wiesn.
Guten Nacht!
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