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.