Where to start with Oktoberfest it’s difficult to find the words to describe it (expect overuse of amazing, wonderful and fabulous in this blog) Our friend Al decided to celebrate his 50th birthday at the iconic Oktoberfest, having always talked about going there, he finally made it and made it in style. The celebration involved friends from all over the world congregating in Munich to enjoy a few days of German hospitality, beer, food and friends (and some outstanding Austrian and Argentinian wines too).
I can’t tell the story without thanking Al and my best friend Jo for their generosity and also friendship over many years. It really struck me during the weekend how many friends and friends of friends we have. There were so many familiar faces and it really was above all a weekend celebrating friendships as much as the birthday of a very special person.
I started the weekend on a lufthansa flight, no service trolly here, no cooked meals or long menu to select (and pay) from, just a delicious cheese sandwich and a beer, very civilised. I thought I would browse the shopping magazine, hermes scarves and rolex watches, not a plastic plane or pack of playing cards to be found….definitely not what I’m used to 😉 Munich airport is quite an experience, when you land it is slightly confusing as it is not segregated between arrivals and departures so you are wandering amongst the shops and bars before you pick up your bag or head for the exit. There was no visible police presence and no passport control on the way out. I headed down to the train station and managed to work out how to buy a ticket and get myself onto the train into central Munich. It was really, really crowded and as it got closer to the centre more and more people got on, some of whom were clearly ready for Oktoberfest fully kitted out in their traditional dress. Once I arrived it was a easy wander through a drizzly Friday afternoon to the hotel and a couple of hours rest before the first time I put on my Dirndl (the traditional Bavarian costume worn at Oktoberfest) …..
I met Jo and Al and some of the gang in the lobby before we headed out to a traditional beer hall. It was quite an experience, lots and lots of people in the street were all dressed up, everyone was in high spirits and everything was extremely good natured. We enjoyed a fabulous evening of beer and food and catching up with old friends.
The following morning we were treated to a wonderful tour of Munich, which is a fascinating place and one which I can highly recommend for a visit (it has a lot more to offer than simply beer!!) We saw the old and the new, and heard the chimes of the fabulous glockenspiel clock (which I think is in the town hall).
We also visited one of the oldest breweries in the town centre and enjoyed a stein of beer before continuing on out of the centre.
This time to BMW world (again, well worth a visit if you’re in the neighbourhood) and the old Olympic park. We enjoyed an amazing lunch at an outdoor beer garden called Hirschgarten (who knew we’d be able to sit outside and enjoy our lunch in the sunshine, I certainly wasn’t expecting that given the weather forecast, what a bonus!!)
All too soon it was time to jump back on the coach and head to the hotel ready to “dirndl-up” as the phrase became, and head out to Oktoberfest. We were guided along by the wonderful Veronika and very soon we reached the Oktoberfest park – I was taken aback. I have not seen such a masssive event or so many people in the same place for a very long time and possibly never, and everyone having a great time.
The site itself is more than just beer, there are traditional fairground rides and games, lots of food stalls selling everything from sweet roasted nuts to candy floss to the traditional gingerbread hearts in many sizes. We worked our way through the crowd, following Veronika’s trusty yellow umbrella to the Schutzenfestzelt beer tent. Once inside our senses were overcome with the experience.
The beer tent was massive (I think holding around 5 thousand people) it had two floors, we were on the ground floor, seated on wooden benches at wooden tables.
The band were playing a fantastic mix of german and international music and once our waiters had introduced themselves we were off – the waiter bringing back about 10 steins of beer at a time. Given that at the start of the weekend I could barely pick up one that is quite something !! They are really heavy and there’s even a technique for “cheers” to be learnt (it’s important given the number of times we raised our glasses to “Prost”)
It was a truly amazing experience, we enjoyed fantastic food, delicious beer and of course soon got into the swing of the need to jump up on the benches in order to dance, sing and make merry. I don’t think Al could have anticipated quite what an experience it would be, everyone dressed up, singing and dancing the evening away, clinking glasses and hugging it was fabulous. I have many blurred photos of the evening, but here are just a few of the clearer ones to try to give you an idea of what it was like.
When I got back to the hotel room that night in place of a pillow chocolate I found a gingerbread – so thoughtful and a lovely end to the evening.
Saturday was Al’s birthday and we went to a modern, classic restaurant called Broeding where Al and Jo had put together a wonderful lunch with the chef and paired it with some very special wines. This really was a special time together for all of us and something that I am sure meant a lot to Al, it was a fabulous way to spend his birthday.
After lunch we went back to spend the evening at Oktoberfest, this time in the Ochsenbraterei tent, the overall size and design being similar to the previous evening but this time were were seated upstairs which gave a really different experience.
The music was as great as the previous evening with the live band playing some absolute classics and once again the beer and food were fantastic. We enjoyed another fabulous evening singing and dancing the night away amongst friends and all too soon it was time to head back to the hotel.
Sunday morning was a very early start for me and I crept out of the room to find the lufthansa coach (which I had somehow not realised the existence of on the way into Munich) – I was at the airport by 7am and on my way back to Valencia tired and extremely happy after a wonderful weekend. I even had brilliant views of the mountains and Spanish coastline on my way back, what an end to the weekend.
The Adventures of Gemini J 