Oktoberfest

My husband and I moved to Germany recently.   We've been here since September, 2012, and already we have traveled to some cool places.  On September 29, 2012, we went to the famous Oktoberfest in Munich.  Though the weather was pretty bad, we managed to get into a tent without reservations and beat the rain...for the majority of the day anyways.

We wanted to make the most out of our Oktoberfest experience so we went to Regensberg and bought a lederhosen and dirndl which are the traditional garb of Bavaria and Austria. There are a ton of shops to buy dirndls at and they can run you anywhere from 50-300 Euro.  Most of the better ones are on the pricier side.  I got mine from a store called Moser. If you go to Oktoberfest, don't let anyone talk you out of wearing one.  There are plenty of people wearing normal clothing and that's fine, but I've noticed that the people who are there to have a good time dress up.  I was initially unsure if we would look like "tourists" for dressing up, but people from all countries come and dress up.

There are a lot of carnival rides and beer tents to choose from.  Carnival rides aren't really my thing, but you'll probably want to spend a good chunk of your time in a beer tent.  There are several big tents and several small tents.  Most tents you need to have reservations made months in advance.  We did not have time to make reservations as we had just arrived in Germany two weeks before, however, we did spend almost the entire day in a beer tent.  The trick is to come very early, about 9 a.m. and walk into a tent.  We had no problem getting into the tent so early in the day.  You'll notice that all of the tables already have reserved signs on them and you can't sit there.  I think we just got really lucky because we found a row of stand up tables that were not reserved and we spent the day there ordering drinks.  It might also have had something to do with the fact that it was a  Weinzelt or wine tent.  Which is perfect for me because I don't drink beer.  For my husband, there were a few options of beer for him to choose from.

I should also mention that one of the biggest mistakes we made was not eating enough food throughout the day.  We ate at about 10 a.m.  A meal of wurst and bread.  Though this was very good, it is not suitable as the only meal for Oktoberfest.  Because of the lack of food we got super drunk, yay! But because we were super drunk we also forgot to eat dinner and we all know how that pans out.  Make it a point to eat dinner.  Sounds like common sense, but when you're drunk you forget to eat and when you are drinking from 9 a.m. until late into the night, then you might be one of those people passed out in the alleys.  Thankfully we had a bus to take us home but even better I'd suggest getting a hotel for the night.

Once the beer (or wine) starts flowing then everyone wants to be at your table.  Things pick up and the place gets packed.  The band was playing all kinds of music.  Traditional German and pop songs from America.

We met some Americans studying abroad in Italy!

We also met some Australians, New Zealanders, and plenty of Germans.  A bunch of new friends for the day.  It was great time!!!  Everyone should experience Oktoberfest at lease once as the saying goes.