München, again

Weisses Brauhaus
Munich, Germany

We pass through Munich a lot, usually taking the train. Whenever we arrive in the Munich Hauptbahnhof or main train station, we like to take a brief pit stop at the Pizza Panini stand in the station. There is something amazing about eating a slice of delicious pizza on the move after being cooped up in the train. We tried to mix it up this trip, and after lunch at our favorite beer hall, Weissesbrauhaus, we succeeded in visiting new venues.

The first was the Bier und Oktoberfest Museum. Most of the exhibits were in German, but there was enough English around that we weren’t totally lost. The admission was surprising low; I think it was €2.50 a person.

I think he'd make a cute beer maid.
Joseph Satava at the Bier und Oktoberfest Muesum
Munich, Germany

At Oktoberfest, the beer maids have to be able to carry 7 litres of beer per hand. At the museum they have mock liter mugs so you could compare your strength to that of the trained beer maids. Those mugs were heavy; I don’t have what it takes. Joe and Steve on the other hand could, with a little training, try out to be beer maids next year.

Our next stop on the tour was the Munich Residenz. There are 3 portions of the palace you can visit, and we only managed to visit one. This is another palace used by the Bavarian Kings because honestly, who only has one palace?

Munich Residenz
Munich, Germany

The Residenz was heavily bombed during WWII so a lot of the interiors are reconstructions, but there were a few original pieces. Like most royal palaces, the Residenz was decorated in all manners of opulence; I half expected a miniature giraffe to gallop by. There were a few standout rooms that broke up the monotony of audience rooms and bed chambers, but this tour is exhausting. There are over 100 rooms to tour, and I can’t imagine living here. What if I left my book at the opposite end of the palace? It would take me an hour just to get the thing. However, it would be awesome remarkably easy to get some private time and it would make a fabulous setting for an epic game of hide and seek.

Munich Residenz
Munich, Germany

Useful Links!

Photos from Our Trip!

Munich Residenz Museum

Bavarian Castle Pass

Bier und Oktoberfest Museum

In the Tents!

The first tent we entered, Ochsenbraterie, was a little overwhelming. There were tables full of people everywhere, and we weren’t sure where to sit. We asked a waitress about reservations, and where we could sit, and she said that the crowded side of the hall was for those without reservations, and the nice empty side was for those with reservations. We circulated the tent a couple times, and couldn’t find any seats available. So we decided to try another tent. We did not go into the Augustiner tent because we have already been to the brewery in Munich, and settled on the Paulaner tent. We asked another waitress, and she explained that in this tent, because it was a holiday, all of the seats were available for everyone. We grabbed a seat, ordered 2 litres and some pommes, and waited to be joined by some other people.

Halfway through out first litres, a group of 4 French guys joined us, they spoke a little English, and even less German. But, like most of our social encounters, those who claim not to speak English very well tend to speak it better than even they think. They ordered their own litres and began to chat more. The 4 of them had driven down from France that day, and they were all pastry chefs. At this point, I ordered the largest soft pretzel I have ever seen in my life, probably a foot in diameter, and was trying to lament that the pretzels weren’t served hot. This involved a fair amount of miming, but I finally managed to convey that hot is a temperature, not a head accessory, hat. For the first time in my life, I fully appreciated the subtle differences in sound between “hot” and “hat”. We also taught them “Cheers!” and in turn they taught us, “Santé”. I also learned how to say 8, “huit” (sounds like wheat).

Chugging Contest!

The guys then began to play a card game, much like Kings. We watched for a little while, and then joined in the second round of the game, managing to hold our own. As the game came to a close, we were joined by some actual Bavarians! The 3 girls spoke English very well, and I didn’t speak with the guy, so I can’t comment on his English abilities. There was a song that the oompa band played once an hour, and during this song, 2 people would stand up and have a chugging contest with their beers. One time, two of the girls at our table stood on their benches to compete. I only remembered this after clicking through the pictures from that day, which brings me to an important point of advice, bring a camera to help you remember, because the litres will help you forget.

Tent #3

My next memory is of a tragic accident that befell me. During a prost, someone toasted me and my glass broke apart into several pieces! Beer went everywhere. Apparently this happens frequently, and is a good thing, because all the Bavarians immediately high-fived me after the event. Joe later told me that he had observed a chip in my glass, so it’s no small wonder that repeated prost-ing would weaken the structural integrity of the glass. When Joe finished his drink (mine having been whisked away by an irate barmaid), we decided to try our luck in another tent, and explore more of the fest grounds. We stayed in the next tent for a short period, and then decided to strike out on our own, especially when we realized it was already after 5pm! We realized that we needed to eat something more substantial, and stopped at a sausage stand. We also bought some souvenir steins and made our way back to the train for the ride home, stopping for pizza slices on the way. Overall, we had a fabulous, albeit short, time at Oktoberfest.

Click this link for more photos from Oktoberfest

OKTOBERFEST!

Need I say more?

Totally kidding! Of course I must say more! OKTOBERFEST!!! This place was CRAAAAAAAZY! If you are alive and have had beer, you are probably aware of the premise of Oktoberfest, but you probably don’t completely understand the magnitude of this celebration.

Oktoberfest is a two-ish week long celebration celebrating the 1810 marriage of Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese. Their wedding reception was so awesome they decided to celebrate again the next year, and we are 200 hundred years later still partying. Of course the focus has shifted slightly from royal nuptials to beer consumption, and there are a few more guests, approximately 6 million people visit every year. Those in the know call Oktoberfest der Wiesn after the “field” where the festival is held every year, Theresienweise.

At der Wiesn there are 14 different beer tents. I use the term tent loosely. A more accurate description of the big tents we entered is a giant barn typical of a state fair. These humongous spaces are filled with hundreds of tables with seating for thousands of people. The beer maids execute a carefully choreographed dance to bring beers and food to all the patrons. As far as I know, the beer only comes in litre mugs. I struggled lifting my mug when it was full, and have the bruise on my hand to prove it, but these Iron Maidens could carry 7 full mugs at a time. Talk about a workout plan. To get service, you must be sitting, and to be sure of a seat, you must make a reservation. Without a reservation, the seats are first come, first serve, and most people don’t vacate their seats once they have them. On the weekends, without a reservation, you are unlikely to get a seat after 10am and on weekdays after 3pm. Reservations must be made in person at the tent where you would like to sit, or by mail, fax or email. They must also be made for 10 (a full table). We did not have a reservation.

We opted to go in the middle of the week to avoid the crowds and increase the likelihood of finding a seat. Our day of choice was Wednesday the 3^rd because the weather forecast was in the 70s, and it was supposed to be sunny all day. Unfortunately, Wednesday was German reunification day, a national holiday. Working on the assumption that the holiday would mean weekend crowds, we left Regensburg early to arrive in Munich early. We biked to the train station and passed only 1 person on the way. She took one look at our outfits and asked if we were going to der Wiesn. After momentarily blanking, I remembered that ja meant yes, and responded accordingly. Most important, this exchange confirmed the slang term for Oktoberfest.

Arriving at the train station, we found it extra crowded, despite the lack of people in the rest of the city. Apparently, everyone was heading to Munich. We bought our tickets and elbowed our way toward the edge of the platform. Even though we managed to get on the train, we couldn’t find any seats, so we were forced to stand in the vestibule by the doors. Every stop added more people to our vestibule, and by the time we reached Munich, there wasn’t room to swing a cat. Furthermore, because so many people were trying to get on the train, it took much longer to travel, so we ended up standing in the same place for 2 hours. The worst part about the journey was the maddeningly cute couple standing behind me. They were to loudest, wettest kissers ever. It was like water torture. But as our vestibule became more crowded, the portly German gentlemen drinking at 10am managed to drown them out (mostly).

Hoping off the train in Munich, we quickly entered the subway system, jumped on another packed train, and rode to der Wiesn. And it was amazing! Sensory overload!


Here's a link to more Photos from Oktoberfest!

Getting on Tracht for Authenticity

Enjoying the Paulaner Tent at Oktoberfest

Part of the fun of Oktoberfest is wearing the traditional Bavarian dress, collectively referred to as Tracht. The men wear breeches called Lederhosen and the women wear dresses called Dirndl. Fun fact, authentic Bavarian tracht (not the slutty, cheap versions) are actually quite expensive. This is because the breeches are embroidered goat leather, and men generally only buy 1 pair of lederhosen in their adult lives. I’ve seen a lot fo folks on base sporting the costume, and it’s a fun way to celebrate holidays. This begs the question, why have I seen so many children wearing lederhosen? Those aren’t going to fit next year. Why did you buy that for Jr? Not my business, but I will not be buying traditional dress for any children ever. Waste of money. My dress, in my opinion, was not terribly expensive–no more expensive than a dress to wear to a formal occasion (like prom), which is the primary purpose of dirndls. They are worn to weddings, dances, and other holiday celebrations. We managed to match our lederhosen and dirndl.

Me and My Bike

Joe and His Bike

To further our attempts at achieving German authenticity, this past weekend, we bought bicycles. Everyone here seems to be riding them–including senior citizens and toddlers. I often wonder if children learn to ride before they can walk. We spent several hours on the 29^th in the bike store, trying out different bikes. The store actually had a test track for the bicycles. Stadler was the biggest bike store I have I seen, almost like a Costco, but completely full of different kinds of bikes, and with a small section devoted to Vespas. http://www.zweirad-stadler.com/ The website doesn’t even do the store justice.

It’s very overwhelming, especially when you don’t speak German and can’t read the subtle differences between the style of bicycles. We selected “hybrid” bikes, a mix between road bikes and mountain bikes. They have wider tires but angled handlebars. As per German bike law, our bikes have front and rear lights, and a bell, which we ring when passing others. Most interesting, there are no laws regarding helmet use. However, owing to our preference for personal safety, we have purchased helmets.