Oktoberfest

We were less than an hour train ride away from München at its most famous time of year.  We had some mixed advice about whether or not we should go to Oktoberfest, but in the end decided to go for it.  None of us had ever been.  Plus, we still hadn't gone on a train ride.  It was a trip down memory lane to check the departure board to see which Gleis (track) you need to go to.  Load on and off quickly--German trains are very prompt.   We had a compartment mostly to ourselves at first, but as we got closer and closer to München, the train filled up with traditionally dressed folk. 

 

We had seen plenty of people dressed up in traditional clothes for the old, old fest in the neighboring dorf, Oberstimm, but we had no idea that everyone, but the tourists, dresses up for Oktoberfest.  Kids, teenagers, young adults, old adults.  All the girls bring out their colorful dresses with long aprons and white shirts, and all the boys wear checkered shirts with lederhosen.   It was fun and festive.  I've never seen such unity in clothing through all the generations.

So did we see drinking?  Uh huh.  It was interesting to note that with the thousands of people in attendance and probably the majority drinking, there aren't fights that break out.  Matt says that beer makes Germans friendly.  Here's a chap (below) that is already soused at 10:30am.  The kids have had the best personal illustration of why drinking is not cool.  He was on the ground trying to get up, but couldn't.  Two strangers come by and help him up.  He hugs and kisses his thanks as he stumbles away between them.  The kids are so embarrassed for him.  Pathetic.  We had some good discussion with them.

 

 

We walked by a few beer tents, the size of football fields and heard the oom-pa-pa music, but we hung out by the food and crazy rides.  It's insane to see the rides they set up for this three week party.   It's like they set up Lagoon, temporarily.  The rides are huge and don't look temporary.  The kids and I rode on one serious roller coaster that was too rough for Jess and too fast for Matt to take a decent picture.  We all went on another coaster that had spinning seats--I didn't like the spinning, but each girl had to sit with an adult to ride.  Isaac was old enough to go alone.  That one was mostly enclosed with a laser show going on inside--so they set up a huge track and then an enclosure over it?!  Just Isaac and I went on an Olympic coaster that had 5 loops--enough loops to make me a little dizzy getting off.  There were plenty of other rides that were just too scary and/or intense to consider.  Maybe they only look fun after a liter or two of Hofbraü.   (Fun fact: Almost 7 million liters of beer were served during the 2007 festival.)

 

mmmm.  Chocolate covered fruit.  Jess tried the white chocolate, but ended up preferring normal.

 

So Oktoberfest has roots that go back to 1810, when Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King Ludwig I, was married to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen.  They had several days of celebrations in the fields in front of the city gates.  They named the fields after the Princess, Theresienwiese.  Later. they built the Statue of Bavaria in 1850.  

 

This in how everyone looks!

 

Jess and Isaac went on this slide a couple of times.  They reported that the ride up was even more fun than the slide down.  You hop on a conveyor belt that is so fast and steep, that workers help brace you/escort you up.  When you get to the top, you sit on a mat and zoom, down you go.They collect the mats at the bottom and when the stack is big enough, a mat carrier picks up a stack a meter high, balances it on one shoulder and amazingly makes the ride up without toppling himself or the mats.  They must have abs of steel. 

 

Jess coming down.

 

And Isaac coming down.  

After a couple hours we had done what we wanted and took off to walk around more of the old city.  We ended the day with a bus tour--perfect for tired feet.  Then took the train back home, but still had to walk a mile back from the station.  We walked back just like we had started--picking up loads and loads of chestnuts (Jess is the best mass quantity collector) and having throwing contests.  Who can hit that tree?  that sign?