Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany

One of the things on our bucket list when we moved here last year was going to Oktoberfest. Hotels and other accommodations book up fast for this event so last winter we booked our hotel and bought our lederhosen and dirndl while in Munich.

First started in 1810 to celebrate the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, Oktoberfest is now a 16 day festival celebrating beer, in which people from around the world gather with Germans who have probably been going since they were 3. This is known as the world's biggest fair having something for everyone of all ages. We were astounded at how large the grounds were, holding roller coasters, ferris wheels, carnival games, and of course the beer "tents". Some of these tents can hold up to almost 10,000 people and each tent has its own character and feel to it.

One of the many rides.

One of the tents.

Roller coasters

We'd say about two-thirds of the people in attendance were dressed in the traditional lederhosen and dirndl outfits, almost one-third were in regular clothes, and the rest were in other outfits like kilts. People of all ages were wearing the traditional Bavarian attire and we think we fit in perfectly.

After walking around for a while and looking at the scene around us we went into our first tent, Paulaner. We were able to find seats, though even on a Thursday at 1pm it was pretty crowded. The waitress came right away and we ordered two beers in the only size that is possible at Oktoberfest, a liter stein. Sitting next to us were three Munich residents who were taking off of work to enjoy a day at the festival.

A fun table!

After a liter of beer each we decided to move on to another tent, Augustiner. By this time it was around 3pm and it was a little harder to find seats. We were squeezed in between some very drunk Germans and some friendly Italians. We didn't stay here long, just sharing a liter of beer, and we only have one picture from inside the tent. The drunk guy on the right's English wasn't very good and the guy on the left is laughing because he told him many times that they don't speak English. Jon and I were trying our best to translate back and forth. 

Squeezed in the middle

Augustiner

We moved on to the Hofbrau tent and once we found seats, decided to stay there for the rest of the time. This tent is notoriously known as the tourist tent, though Germans still come because they like the atmosphere and meeting people from around the world. Things got a little rowdy here... by the end of the night everyone was standing on the benches and singing the traditional drinking songs. I also remember "Que sera, sera" being played. After five liters between the two of us at this tent things got a little fuzzy (alright, very fuzzy) but from what we remember we had a good time.

In the beginning...

Luigi and Mario

Very packed!

Later on...

We're not sure when we left or how we got back to the hotel, but we do remember stopping to play a carnival game involving bb guns. It's always a great idea to have these shooting games right outside of the tents at night, don't you think?

He hit 6/10 shots and could barely see straight! (9/10 sober the next day)

And this is what happened to our camera after we dropped it with the lens out.

We went to the Oktoberfest grounds the next day, but didn't drink. Instead we strolled around, played a few games, and bought some souvenirs to take home. Overall, we were really impressed with the organization, efficiency, and order of the entire event and we don't think a beer festival of this magnitude could work in other countries. We will always remember... what we remember. :)

Munich, Germany

So we went from the land of beater Fiats, Alfa Romeos, and scooters, to the land of BMWs, Mercedes, and Audis. From the land of pasta, pizza, and wine, to the land of meat, potatoes, and beer. Foodwise, I don't think I would survive here for very long, but Jon was in heaven! I think I had more meat in the short time we were there then I've had in months in Italy!

Munich is constantly on the top ten most livable cities lists (and was voted by Monocle's most livable city in 2010) and we could see why. Clean, walkable, bikable, low crime, great public transportation system, affordable housing (so we read), the list goes on and on.

Taken from destination360

After we arrived at our hotel we ate dinner at a fondue restaurant where we cooked the meat, consisting of turkey, chicken, veal, and beef, in oil in the pot and then dipped them in the sauces that they provided. Our dessert was real German chocolate melted into gooey hot goodness with fruits and biscuits dipped in. Very satisfying!

Fondue for the meat.

Duck, a potato ball, and cabbage.

During the day we went to the Englischer Garten (English Garden), which is a very large public park (bigger than Central Park). The name of it refers to the landscape gardening which was very popular in the 18th century. With limited time in the park we only saw a few sites and managed to get a nice stroll in. The Japanese Teahouse was built to celebrate the 1972 Olympics. In the distance we saw the Monopteros, which is a small, round, Greek style temple built in 1832. We also stumbled upon a waterfall that was created in 1815.

Japanese Tea House

Monopteros in the distance

Waterfall

We passed by the Munich Residenz, which is the former royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs. It is used today for visitors to see its architecture, room decorations, and displays of the royal collections.

In Munich center is the Marienplatz, which is the main central square in Munich and has been used as that since 1158. The New Town Hall is a site to see in the square, and you really can't miss it. The building is gothic and almost looks like it was built from wax drippings from a candle. On the tower is the Glockenspiel. Everyday at certain times it chimes and re-enacts two stories from the 16th century using 32 life sized figures and 43 bells. The top half shows a joust in honor of the marriage of Duke Wilhelm V (founder of the Hofbräuhaus) to Renata of Lorraine, with the Bavarian knight winning of course. The bottom half shows the Schäfflerstanz (the coopers' dance), a dance that symbolizes perseverance and loyalty to authority through difficult times.

Since we're planning on coming back to Munich in the fall for Oktoberfest we decided to buy traditional German outfits for ourselves. Jon has his lederhosen and I have my beer wench outfit. You can see us all dressed up when we put them on in the fall, but here is a little preview...

No trip to Munich would be complete without drinking in their famous beerhalls. The first one we went to was Augustiner Keller. Inside it showcased a timber theme with big pine tables and benches, and animals (I hope fake, but probably not) as ornaments. The cellar glowed with warmth and the whole place had a very pleasant and relaxing feel to it.

Enjoying a rest

The Cellar

The other beer hall we went to was the famous Hofbräuhaus. This hall is massive with each room bigger than the next. Being that it was a midweek night in the winter we found ourselves seats pretty quickly and ordered beers from a "beer wench" passing by. Beer in this house means you will get a liter of beer... a liter! I had to hold the mug with two hands! Traditional Bavarian music echoed through the hall while Jon and I looked around in amazement.

Very happy!

I needed two hands!

That's a big pretzel!

Lockers where the regulars leave their steins!

More beer?

The artistic shot

Trying to catch up!

We really didn't have that much time here. After all of the beer drinking in the fall for Oktoberfest we plan to set aside another day or two to see:

                  - Dachau Concentration Camp
                  - Olympia Park
                  - Neuschwanstein Castle
                  - BMW museum

We're looking forward to our next trip to Munich! The following are some other pictures from our time in Munich.

In the hotel elevator.

A scene from 1490 in our hotel.