FUN-travel: Munich, Germany – Oktoberfest Opening Day

September 26, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Munich, Germany – Oktoberfest Opening Day 

Day 6 – Saturday, September 21 – Munich, Germany – Day 2  sunny w/light clouds & 60’s

What I LIKE

  • 8:00 wake up – fairly good sleep
  • nice breakfast w/fresh fruit – even fresh OJ
  • 10 am – walk to Oktoberfest grounds
  • only 5 mins
  • location, location, location!
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Inside of Tent

  • elaborate fronts on tents (looks like the Del Mar fairgrounds w/only beer & brats)
  • lots of nice smells lingering – caramel corn, butter toffee nuts, brats, all kind of meats, etc.
  • 11:20 – parade starts – splendidly decorated horse teams of the breweries & bands that play in festival tents
  • 12:00 noon – cannons go off – official opening of Oktoberfest

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  • turn around and walk into closest tent area
  • smartest brilliant idea! (hordes of people, held back by security, can’t get in & have to stand & wait)
  • see table w/only 6 people (holds 8) ask if we can join

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    Could You Carry 8 Liter Mugs Filled With Beer?

  • they say yes!
  • testosterone is flowing – lots of liter beer chugging cheered on by group
  • *guard posted @ exit to stop anyone from entering w/o waiting
  • 3:00 – nursed my liter of beer & ready to go
  • walk out for Bratwurst – actually ox meat
  • 4:00 – walk to train station for car strategy pick up tomorrow
  • 5:00 – hotel room R & R
  • 7:00 – walk to Flemings – found on walk to get car (across street from station)
  • shrimp pasta & white sausages w/Alleshverloren Shiraz – South Africa – $88
  • meet nice couple from Maryland
  • people watching on sidewalk table while finishing my wine
  • nice 10 min walk back
  • arrive hotel to a “1 Adam 12” – fire brigade on site – quite exciting! someone hit the fire alarm
  • so many drunk people
  • meet one guest who “paced herself” only to find roommate passed out – she’s ready to keep partying
  • 9:30 – time for bed

What I DON’T LIKE

  • another teeny, tiny shower
  • weak water runs between hot & cold w/no control
  • *bathroom line is unbelievably long
  • starting to hyperventilate w/so many people squeezed in

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FF (FUN-fact) – Oktoberfest is the world’s largest fair; more than 5 million people attend the Munich Oktoberfest every year. It’s an important tradition in Bavarian culture, having been held since 1810.

More FF – Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King Ludwig I, was married to Princess Therese of Bavaria on October 12, 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the happy royal event. To honor their marriage a parade took place for the first time..
My take on it: It’s basically just another excuse to drink like St Patrick’s Day with lots of out of control beer chugging.

  • Picture taken at 2:00 pm with our new best friends from Australia that shared their table they procured at 5:30 am Munich time. The free seats inside tents were all taken by then! (Photographer wanted 8 Euros for a picture) This complimentary from my love!

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