Okay, I know I know, you've all been waiting for an entry on the biggest beer fest in the world...das Oktoberfest!! So here's the scoop. The Oktoberfest was pretty much everything I expected: lots and lots and lots of Beer...lots and lots and lots of people....lots and lots and lots of drunk people (even before 10am)....lots and lots and lots of rides and games and food stands ala' the fair...lots and lots and lots of fun!!
1) I went 5 times...only 3 of which involved beer and therefore can be considered true oktoberfest experiences
2) the oktoberfest beer is about two times as strong as the beer that the munich breweries put out on a normal basis...and remember they only serve it by the "mass", the famed liter-sized glass mugs...non kids' beer allowed!!
3)at the oktoberfest they also have shot stands outside of the beer tents, and in the restaurants, vendors walk around selling little bottles of hard liquor...just to help seal the deal, so to speak
4) I saw a total of 4 people get wheeled out on stretchers by the paramedics for drinking too much
5)last I heard 4 people died during these two weeks of madness from various causes, but all somehow related to alcohol
6)there is an official "Italian Weekend" at the Oktoberfest...and rightfully so considering how they were literally everywhere
7)speaking of italians, I met my future italian husband in the Paulaner tent and he proceeded to tell me about our future son "Alabama Bruno"...oh and just to let you know we will be living near Torino...so come visit...looks like I'm going to be an expat afterall guys!!
8)there is a veritable flea circus at Oktoberfest...my friend Birgit witnessed it, under deress I should add, firsthand
9)there is a wine tent (das Weinzelt)...I went once with Birgit, as we both prefer the vino...verdict= the wine was good, and the surroundings much calmer
10) the locals refer to it as der Wies'n ... bavarian for "field"...refering to the field that it takes place on, called Theresienwiese...named after the Theresa, the wife of some king, for whom the original oktoberfest was held in honor of her birthday
11) Tuesday is the designated "family day" of the week
12)The "Trachten" is a general term refering to the traditional clothing of Austria and Germany, the "dirndl" is the traditional dress that german and austrian women wear to special occasions and oktoberfest and so on, and the "lederhosen", literally "leather pants", are what the men wear...every subregion, and perhaps town, of bavaria and austria has a different style of dirndl and lederhosen. Most of the modern dirndls that you see at Oktoberfest and elsewhere are as far from their traditional stylistic roots as possible...often much sluttier and cheaper.
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