What better way to return to my blogging than with a post about Oktoberfest in Munich! I used to be a good updater but have fallen off the wagon now that so many people I know are actually on Facebook. But, in meeting someone recently who is a dedicated professional blogger, and from looking back at my old blog, I realized that I was so glad to have a record from those parts of my life, personally and professionally, and so I am re-dedicating myself to some regular updating.
A group of seven of us rented an apartment in Munich and booked this trip back in February. I was determined that I would go to Oktoberfest at least once in my life in Germany- mostly because I wanted to wear the dress which is called a dirndl. What I never realized is that Oktoberfest or die Wiesen as it is called in German (means "The Fest") is really a giant carnival complete with rides. As I'd never actually looked up any information about it until about 5 days before leaving, I hadn't realized that it originally was to celebrate the marriage of one of the Bavarian kings and did take place more in October in earlier times. It now starts in September and ends the first weekend of October and was moved to these dates in order for the weather to be potentially better.
Unless you are at the grounds for Oktoberfest, the rest of the city seems relatively normal, although there are a lot of people walking around in a dirndl or lederhosen. We stayed in an apartment that was only a 15 minute walk from the city center and our neighborhood was calm and quiet. I guess, in my head, I had always imagined the city just erupting with craziness. But, it was actually quite nice to walk around sunny Munich. There were many marching bands in a whole variety of traditional Bavarian clothing marching around the city. But, I'd also seen this same thing when I was in Munich during the summer- so I wasn't quite sure what was Oktoberfest related and what was just Bavaria.
Unless you are at the grounds for Oktoberfest, the rest of the city seems relatively normal, although there are a lot of people walking around in a dirndl or lederhosen. We stayed in an apartment that was only a 15 minute walk from the city center and our neighborhood was calm and quiet. I guess, in my head, I had always imagined the city just erupting with craziness. But, it was actually quite nice to walk around sunny Munich. There were many marching bands in a whole variety of traditional Bavarian clothing marching around the city. But, I'd also seen this same thing when I was in Munich during the summer- so I wasn't quite sure what was Oktoberfest related and what was just Bavaria.
Everyone who talked about going to Oktoberfest talked about getting into a 'beer tent." What I never realized is that the "tents" are actually semi-permanent wooden buildings built to hold like 7,000 people each. They are filled with row after row of tables and there is always a space for the band. We got in the the Hacker-Pschorr "tent" which has the sky painted on the ceiling. It was beautifully done and as we were there on the opening day of the whole festival, we got to see some of the opening festivities.
Beer is not served, even one drop, until 12 noon on the opening day of the fest. All of the waiters and waitresses lined up waiting for the 12 o'clock signal. The tent opened quite early in the morning so people were playing cards or just hanging out (and some people were chugging apple juice to practice for the real thing!).
Beer is not served, even one drop, until 12 noon on the opening day of the fest. All of the waiters and waitresses lined up waiting for the 12 o'clock signal. The tent opened quite early in the morning so people were playing cards or just hanging out (and some people were chugging apple juice to practice for the real thing!).
A parade inside the tent opened the official festivities and then the beer began to flow! I can't really explain the speed with which the entire tent's noise level, energy level, and general level of debauchery changed. I'd swear it was only about 15 minutes after the noon start and people were standing on the tables, singing, dancing, and of course, the line for the bathroom was like 75 women deep!
I must say that the beer waiters/waitresses are just incredibly impressive- super human you might say. Those beers are HEAVY. Even just one to drink out of was heavy and I had to always hold it with two hands. I cannot even imagine doing what this guy is doing. I believe he's got SIX in each hand.
Below is a video I found on YouTube from someone who had also been in the Hacker-Pschorr tent. The band started playing right when the noon bell rang and this was one of the more popular songs.
I must say that the beer waiters/waitresses are just incredibly impressive- super human you might say. Those beers are HEAVY. Even just one to drink out of was heavy and I had to always hold it with two hands. I cannot even imagine doing what this guy is doing. I believe he's got SIX in each hand.
Below is a video I found on YouTube from someone who had also been in the Hacker-Pschorr tent. The band started playing right when the noon bell rang and this was one of the more popular songs.
When I purchased my dirndl in June, it was a little tight but I refused to go up a size because that's how I am. In August, I looked at the tag and realized that it had been mislabelled and was, in fact, a size smaller than I actually wear. So, for the following two months, I was participating in Operation: Dirndl and by the time we went to Oktoberfest, my dress fit how it was supposed to! This picture is a tribute to that triumph- which I celebrated with beer and a cheese-covered pretzel!
A dirndl is a flattering shape to ALL women and I can see why corsets were perpetuated for so long- they really hold one together nicely. However, you really cannot eat/drink/breathe too much. And, I definitely would not have been able to go to any carnival rides after four hours in a beer tent.
We definitely saw some people who had had way too much fun as we were leaving our tent around 4 in the afternoon. The police seemed very nice and supportive to the "passed out on the sidewalk" people and I was really glad not to be among them- not that I was worried about that for myself, to be sure.
A dirndl is a flattering shape to ALL women and I can see why corsets were perpetuated for so long- they really hold one together nicely. However, you really cannot eat/drink/breathe too much. And, I definitely would not have been able to go to any carnival rides after four hours in a beer tent.
We definitely saw some people who had had way too much fun as we were leaving our tent around 4 in the afternoon. The police seemed very nice and supportive to the "passed out on the sidewalk" people and I was really glad not to be among them- not that I was worried about that for myself, to be sure.