Oktoberfest, and All That Jazz

I have made some enhancements to my blog page! The slideshow at the top of the page is an album of pictures I have taken so far. I have set the slideshow to play randomly, but if you click on the image, it will take you to the album, and you can look through all my pictures. I also added a feature that allows you to get email notifications whenever I post a new blog, all you need to do is enter your email into the bar on the righthand side of the website.

I finally have my laptop back! There are no official Apple stores in the Czech Republic, so I had to drop my computer off at a premium retailer. It was a slightly stressful experience to try and get my computer fixed in a foreign country, especially since the receptionist at the repair shop only spoke Czech, so she always put me on the phone with an English speaker. My laptop is running just like new, and I even have a new battery.

Jakub, on the right, playing the drums

This past week I attended a jazz club with my Czech buddy, Jakub. The club was called Blues Sklep, and it is an improv jazz club. The club was in an underground cave and completely filled with local Czech people. Jakub is a musician, so he and his band were on the lineup to play a few songs. We hung around for about an hour and then it was his turn to play! The place was very cool and definitely a great way to experience "traditional Czech culture."

Setting up for Oktoberfest

Friday morning we boarded a bus and left for Munich at 6:55 in the morning. The bus ride took a little over five hours, so we arrived around lunchtime. After trying for over half an hour to figure out the public transportation system, we gave up and took a taxi to the apartment where we were staying. Once we dropped everything off, we decided to go walk around and explore the city for a bit. We wandered around Munich rather aimlessly for a couple of hours. German people are very nice! They are willing to give us directions and were very helpful. We walked through the English Gardens before deciding to go check out the Oktoberfest campground. The Oktoberfest grounds are like a fair: there are amusement park rides and multiple food vendors outside in between the tents! Everyone was still setting up since Oktoberfest officially started on Saturday, so we were able to wander around and look inside some of the empty tents (these "tents" are massive, basically the size of an aircraft hanger). It was a unique experience to be able to see all the tents completely empty the day before Oktoberfest started. Afterwards, we found a shop that sold dirndls and bought “traditional” dresses for the big day.

The calm before the storm; photo credit Daniela Falvo

Saturday was the day! We got up at 6:00am, since we knew we had to be there early if we wanted to find a table for five people. Getting dressed in our costumes was quite a production since there were three pieces and lots of tying involved. But finally we were all ready and headed towards the metro stop. Admittedly, we were "riding light" and did not have tickets; we had heard they don't stop anyone to check them since the crowds are so large, the officers are more concerned about safety. To our credit, we did attempt to buy metro tickets the day before, but I’m pretty sure we only bought a one-way, one-zone ticket.

We weren't sure which was the best way to get to Oktoberfest, but our problem was solved for us; all we had to do was follow the lederhosen! The metro stop let us out directly into the Oktoberfest grounds. We practically ran to the tent we had decided to go to, the Hofbräu Festhalle, which is popular amongst Americans and Australians. We waited outside for about an hour before people were allowed to go inside. The five of us grabbed each other's hands, and thankfully we did, because I have never been in a crowd that surged forward and pushed so much. After about five minutes of suffocating, claustrophobic closeness, we were finally inside. We ran around for a few minutes until somehow we managed to find an open table, and we sat down immediately.

Little did we know, on the first day they do not tap the keg until noon, so we sat at our table for three hours playing the iPhone app “Heads Up.” At 11:30 things finally started to get interesting when the house band began to file in. Shortly after, there was a little parade, consisting bands and all the members of the brewer’s family in our tent, which in our case was the Hofbräu München brewery! There was a countdown as the first keg was tapped at noon, and the tent erupted in cheers. The atmosphere was indescribable, I don't think I have ever been in a place where so many thousands of people are instantaneously happy (our tent could seat 6,896 people inside), and I don't think I ever will be in the same situation again. Shortly after, three Australians came over to our table and hung out with us for a few hours, and I have to say, they were hilarious.

On our way out, I noticed I had lost my camera and ran back to the table to look for it, but didn't see it. Luckily, I had some pictures on my iPhone, and all my friends had many pictures on their phones. But hey, do you really experience Oktoberfest (or any trip/adventure for that matter) if you don't lose something? In actuality, one of our new Australian friends had grabbed my camera and lost us in the crowd, so my camera is currently safe, but in London. What a small world afterall. It was a long, crazy, weekend, but if I am ever presented with the opportunity to go to Oktoberfest, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat (and on the plus side, I already have the outfit)!

Photo credit Daniela Falvo