Prost Oktoberfest!!

Guten Tag!

    For those that don't know, that is how you say hello in German! I spent my last three days in Munich, Germany and let me just say it was absolutely AMAZING!!! I honestly don't think that I can express how much fun I had in writing and pictures, but as usual I will do my best! My main reason for going to Munich this past weekend was for the opening weekend of Oktoberfest. For those who don't know what Oktoberfest is (which seems to be a surprising amount of people), it is an annual festival that...wait for it...celebrates beer! But in reality, it is so much more than that. It a tradition that families attend every year where they celebrate their culture and I am so glad I was able to make it and share the experience. Sadly, I didn't have a drindl which is traditional Bavarian clothing so I was one of many foreigners that stuck out--but none the less it was great and everyone was so friendly! 

    Oktoberfest is a 16 day festival that starts the third weekend in September and ends the first weekend of October. I know, I know you'd think Oktoberfest would take place entirely during the month of October but hey, I don't make up the rules I just go with them. Oktoberfest is also a HUGE event. I'm talking 6 million people visiting during the three weeks. So naturally, planning for this can be really stressful and expensive. But somehow my friends, Nick and Emily, and I managed to get our act together, book tickets, and find a relatively cheap place to stay not too far in advance. And for whatever it cost us, it was definitely worth it in my opinion. 

    So Friday morning, our train was leaving Gare de Paris Est (which is one of the five major train stations in Paris) at 7:06 am. Nick, Emily, and I planned to met at a metro stop along the route which would match up with everyone at 6:10. Therefore I had multiple alarms set for 5:30, and as many of you know me, I am a pretty deep sleeper. But I think the excitement of traveling got to me because I woke up multiple times in the night making sure I didn't miss my alarms. Finally it was time to get up, get ready, and go! I packed a backpack's worth of stuff which is pretty impressive if you ask me. I was out the door and at my metro station fifteen minutes after the first train. I met up with Emily at 6:10 as planned. Nick hadn't showed up for twenty minutes, and the typical worry wart that I am started to stress out. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I had both of our train tickets...so there was that. Emily and I decided to just go on to the train station otherwise we would be late and possibly miss the train ourselves. We got to Gare de Paris-Est at 6:40ish and we still hadn't heard from Nick. Thankfully a couple minutes later he managed to text us telling us he'd be there within seven minutes. The thing about the metro, is that the first and last trains of the morning/night are always really spaced out. So if you miss a train you could be sitting for maybe 15 minutes before the next one. Well, this is basically what happened to Nick. We didn't really choose the best place to meet because it meant he had to take three different lines which meant he had to wait a long time between trains. But finally he made it and we were off to Germany!! (With 8 minutes to spare...) We left Paris and had to transfer in Germany at Mannheim Hauptbhanhof. Our train from Paris was meant to arrive in Mannheim at 10:18 as our next train was to leave at 10:30. Well, the train arrived late and luckily our next one did as well...even though we almost hopped on to the wrong train after being directed to it. The real train arrived and we were on our way! After 5+ hours of traveling we made it into Munich!

    After arriving we figured out the Munich metro, which I must say is the nicest metro system I have ever been on. It's super quiet, fast, and pretty clean. Anyways, we hopped on and headed to Allach which is right outside of downtown Munich. For anyone who is traveling in Europe on a low-budget I strongly suggest checking out airbnb.com. I had heard of the website a couple times and decided to check it out. Simply put, it's where people rent out rooms in their house/apartment or even the entire their place for a short period of time. I am someone who really values experiences by getting to know people and their cultures, so I figured this would be a great way to truly experience the German culture even in the smallest way. Since everything was pretty much booked or would cost an arm and a leg to rent we opted for a place on there and couldn't have asked for anything better. We rented out a room in a house and met some pretty cool people. The owner, Michael, was maybe 24 or so and super friendly. He was also really helpful in giving us advice on Munich in general as well about Oktoberfest. We arrived at his house, dropped off our backpacks and headed back out after grabbing quick snacks from a bakery down the road. Allach is located two stops from Dachau, a small town known for it's concentration camp during the time of 1933-1945. Since we were only in Germany for a short period of time we wanted to explore and experience everything we could. We decided to take this opportunity to explore history as well as pay homage to the people who lost their lives during these terrible times. We arrived at the Dauchau concentration camp and picked up a pamphlet in the visitor's center. From there we continued along the Path of Remembrance which would lead us to the entrance of the camp. It's eerie to think that eighty years ago, people walked the same path that I had walked that day but for completely different reasons. As I walked through the gate, the same gate that the prisoners had walked through, it really hit me of where I was. I was standing on the actual grounds of where some of the worst human atrocities had occurred. I wasn't just reading a textbook about the place, I was actually standing there. I love history and I find both World Wars to be extremely interesting, so being here was really amazing. It had been cloudy, which added to the somberness, but it only seemed fitting for where I was. As you walk into the concentration camp, to the right was the former maintenance hall which had been built by prisoners themselves in the early years of the camp. Today, it is a museum that you can walk through. Inside there were all sorts of different artifacts, maps, and boards that talked about the different aspects of the camp. I was only able to walk through half of it since we arrived at the camp and hour or so before it was to close for the day. After the museum, I walked around the grounds and through the barracks that showed the living conditions. It's hard to believe the amount of people that were forced to live in these small quarters. Two barracks were reconstructed after all 34 of the others were demolished. We were able to walk along the Camp Road which is a long gravel road that runs between the barracks and is lined with poplar trees. Today, at the end of the road there is the Catholic Mortal Agony of Chris Chapel but during the time of the World War, this was where prisoners were able to congregate for a short period of time a day with prisoners located in barracks different than there own. On either side of the Chapel there are other memorials linked to different religions such as the Protestant Church of Reconciliation, Carmelite Convent, and the Jewish Memorial. I walked around and entered those memorials before making my way over to the crematorium. Walking through this building was probably the hardest part of the whole thing. I was able to walk through the rooms where prisoners were prepared to enter the "showers" as well as the actual "shower". It was definitely a difficult moment. After walking through the crematorium, I walked through the garden next to it where there was a grave for the unknown who lost their lives. The camp was closing for the day, so we made our way out and headed into Munich. Walking around and actually being in the camp was a moving experience that if the opportunity arose, I would visit again. I, as well as many others, were able to pay our respects to the people who died there and it was something that really reminds you to be grateful for the things and life you have. 

    Once we left Dachau, we hopped back on the metro and went into downtown Munich which was already hustle and bustling with excitement for the next day. All the stores were selling drindls and lederhosen...I'm talking every store. I'm pretty sure I saw a mannequin in H&M wearing a drindl too. I decided to save my money and opted out of buying one of the traditional bavarian dresses. After walking around for a little while, we were starting to get pretty hungry since we hadn't eaten a proper meal all day. We found this restaurant, Der Pschorr, which was absolutely amazing! We had walked around earlier looking for a place that would serve a traditional German meal, but most of them were cafes. This place however was exactly what we were looking for. We walked in, pretty ambitiously since the menu outside was completely in German, and were lucky to get a table quickly. Don't worry, they also had english menus! Der Pschorr is a brewing company, so after sitting down we ordered their beer that was filled straight from the barrel. We decided to go big and order two appetizers and oh my god it was one of our best decisions yet. We had two homemade brats that came with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut. Most of you probably don't know what sauerkraut is, but since my dad loves the stuff I can help! Basically, it is cabbage that has been fermented in a brine and over time the cabbage and it's bacteria converts sugars to lactic acid and eventually gives it its taste...and awful smell! Our second delicious appetizer was this cheese spread that had a mix of cream cheese, brie, chives, and some other yummy food and came with bread and even better, pretzels. I forgot that pretzels are a big thing in Germany, and I definitely got my fair share over the weekend. For dinner I had a beef brisket with a salad and roasted potatoes. It was the best "welcome to Germany" meals I could have asked for. Once we finished our dinner, we opted out of getting dessert (maybe my only regret?) and headed back to our room for a good night's rest before the start of a soon to be amazing day!

    Saturday morning, we woke up at 8:45 and headed downstairs to enjoy breakfast with Michael, his brother and sister, and a few other guests who were staying at his house. Everyone was dressed in their Bavarian attire and it was great to see it all! I think that is one of the many things that made me fall in love with Munich. I think its so cool that they have special clothes for holidays and festivals. I know that in America, people wear nice dresses to church on Christmas and Easter or they wear red, white, and blue on the 4th, but in Munich they have official outfits. It's just so cool to me. But anyways, after breakfast we got ready and left for downtown. We made it to the Brewers & Landlords parade which runs through some of the major streets in Munich and ends in the Oktoberfest grounds. Every brewer had it's own float/carriage that carried people as well as some that carried barrels. They were all decorated with flowers and the horses pulling them were equally as dressed for the event. Marching bands and other floats were included in the parade which made it even more fun to watch. 

    Once the parade was over we made our way into the Oktoberfest grounds. It was packed. We shuffled along the main street with the thousand of other people who were there and somehow miraculously managed to get into a beer tent. When I say beer tent, I don't mean an actual tent with poles and some wimpy cover. I am talking about a HUGE warehouse sized building that can hold who knows how many people. The second miracle that happened within moments of actually getting into a beer tent without reservations (which many people do actually make) was finding a table to sit at let alone order a beer. But somehow the Oktoberfest gods were in our favor and we found a table with these three older men from Australia and a family of Germans. Everyone was so friendly! That's another thing that was so great about Oktoberfest! People were really friendly and interested in where you were from. I met people from Germany, Australia, England, Brazil, Belgrade, Hungary, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Holland, and some Americans as well. My friend Nick even got invited to a wedding in Italy from a bachelor who was having his bachelor party there. (I'll let you know if he decides to attend.) But overall it was great! People were drinking, cheering, singing, and dancing the entire time. The entire tent even sang Sweet Caroline when the band played it. The time flew by while we were in the tent. We arrived at 1 and soon found ourselves being cleared out at 5 for the next round of people with reservations. Outside of the tent we realized how hungry we were since the only things we had eaten all day were breakfast aka toast and jam and a pretzel that Nick hunted down. So naturally, like all things German, we went and got brats. Holy moly it was delicious. Except somehow I managed to spill ketchup all down my jacket and drop the remaining third of my brat on the ground--but for the time I had it, it was amazing. Besides the huge tents there are all sorts of carnival rides. Oktoberfest is more than just a festival for beer, but rather a cultural tradition that most families attend every year. We decided to go on the Ferris Wheel to see all of the grounds and Munich and afterwards the bumper cars. We were placed in a ferris wheel car with some hungarians who traveled for 10+ hours to spend one day at Oktoberfest...talk about dedication. We also had the honor of sharing our car with two American Air Force soldiers who were stationed abroad. It was crazy because one man was only a year older than us and he had already been deployed to serve in many different countries. We were able to thank them for all the sacrifices they have made for our country and to protect their fellow countrymen--very humbling moment. 

     After the rides, we decided try our luck and get back into a beer tent. Once again the Oktoberfest gods were on our side because we were able to get into the same tent that we were in earlier! We showed the stamps that were on our hands from earlier were lead to a table outside. We met some really cool guys at our table who were from Spain, Belgrade, Italy, and Turkey. Best part? None of the guys knew each other beforehand but managed to get grouped together and get in! So we spent a good amount of time talking and enjoying each other's company. We then managed our way into the tent and found a table to hang out, dance, and sing out that was conveniently located right next to the stage. Nick and Emily managed to talk to one of the trumpet players on stage and somehow convinced them to let us come up on stage!!  This was huge! We got up on stage, which is a circular raised platform that is maybe 6 feet high located in the middle of the tent, and sang and danced with a German band. One of the best moments of the night, was definitely the time the band played American Pie and Nick, Emily, and I were singing our hearts out in front of thousands of people who were point and cheering at us. IT WAS AWESOME. It was almost eleven o'clock at night and the tent was starting to close, so we made our way out of the tent and a quick pit stop at the bathroom where people recognized us as "the people up on stage"! We grabbed some brats and fries for the last time and made our way back home to our room. I couldn't have asked for a better Oktoberfest! 

   Sunday morning we slept in a bit, had breakfast, and hung around the house talking with the other people staying there. They were heading back in for the day whereas we decided to do some sightseeing. We packed up our backpacks and said our goodbyes as we headed out to explore a bit more of Munich. We made our way to the Englischer Gartens aka English Gardens where we walked around and grabbed lunch. It was beautiful! There were fast-flowing streams and lush trees all around. In the center was a large open building where they had people playing traditional German music. We grabbed lunch at the stands surrounding the building...guess what we had? Yup, our last final brat. After enjoying lunch we walked around and made our way out of the huge gardens. We came out right near Theatine Church, a catholic church built in 1663, and naturally I had to go in. I love going into the different churches in Europe. I think they're absolutely breathtaking and this one was no different! We spent a few minutes in there before we had to leave to head back to Munich Hauptbhanhof to catch our train back to Paris. We said our goodbyes to the wonderful city of Munich and after 5 1/2 hours made it back home to Paris. 

    This was an absolutely amazing trip and I couldn't have asked for a better one to start of my traveling while abroad in Europe. I definitely plan on returning to Germany soon, maybe visiting Berlin or Frankfurt, but until then auf wiedersehen! Hope all is well back in the States!

Steph