We arrived in Munich on Saturday after a five hour train ride from Wiener Neustadt. The Hauptbahnhof in Munich was outrageously busy. I don’t know why but I didn’t expect it to be as busy as it was, there were people everywhere. We met three other cadets in the train station, two of them, Mary and Zach, were visiting from the University and Hamburg and the other one, Steve, was studying in Munich. They were all ready for Oktoberfest, completely decked out in Lederhosen and traditional wear. We were very lucky that we could stay with Steve because all of the hostels were full and even if they had openings, they were about 100 Euros a night per person.
After meeting up with the other three, we searched for a locker to throw our stuff into so we could head right to Oktoberfest. Since the station was so busy, we had no chance of finding one so we went on a 45 minute trip back to Steve’s room on the far outskirts of Munich. Once we got there, we set our stuff down and headed off. About an hour later we got to the Oktoberfest grounds. My first impression was that it was the largest carnival or fair that I had ever seen. The busy Hauptbahnhof paled in comparison to Oktoberfest. There were carnival rides and food stands everywhere. The beer “tents” were not tents at all; they were giant buildings with extremely long lines of thirsty people waiting outside for others to leave and make space for them.
We walked around looking for the beer tent with the shortest line and after about an hour or so we decided on Augustiner Brau and finagled a seat. It was really interesting as we were walking around because almost everywhere you looked you could see sick-faced people who had clearly had too much. A few medics would walk by every five or ten minutes, blowing whistles and pushing a covered cart with a comatose drinker inside. I thought this was interesting because I found it actually kind of difficult to drink because it was so busy. It was also interesting to hear English more often than German while in Germany, due to the incredible amount of tourists.
After we eventually found our table a waitress came by, carrying about 10 liters of beer. We each got a liter, than another, and then most of another. It is truly amazing how quickly 3 liters of beer sneaks up on you. I distinctly remember walking at the New Cadet pace of 120 steps per minute to the nearest bathroom and anxiously waiting in line. I’m sure my face said exactly what everyone else’s face said, “This line needs to hurry up. NOW!”
After drinking for a while, Steve and Zach left to find a friend and the remaining four of us searched for a hookah bar. We eventually found one, smoked a mint hookah, and relaxed. We were shocked after smoking for a bit to realize that it was only 8:30 at night. At about 10 we headed back to Steve’s room and were dead asleep by 10:30.
While Oktoberfest was not life changing, it was certainly cool and a very enjoyable time. As I check “Go to Oktoberfest” off my bucket-list, I think that it was well worth the 160 Euro price of the train ticket.
After meeting up with the other three, we searched for a locker to throw our stuff into so we could head right to Oktoberfest. Since the station was so busy, we had no chance of finding one so we went on a 45 minute trip back to Steve’s room on the far outskirts of Munich. Once we got there, we set our stuff down and headed off. About an hour later we got to the Oktoberfest grounds. My first impression was that it was the largest carnival or fair that I had ever seen. The busy Hauptbahnhof paled in comparison to Oktoberfest. There were carnival rides and food stands everywhere. The beer “tents” were not tents at all; they were giant buildings with extremely long lines of thirsty people waiting outside for others to leave and make space for them.
We walked around looking for the beer tent with the shortest line and after about an hour or so we decided on Augustiner Brau and finagled a seat. It was really interesting as we were walking around because almost everywhere you looked you could see sick-faced people who had clearly had too much. A few medics would walk by every five or ten minutes, blowing whistles and pushing a covered cart with a comatose drinker inside. I thought this was interesting because I found it actually kind of difficult to drink because it was so busy. It was also interesting to hear English more often than German while in Germany, due to the incredible amount of tourists.
After we eventually found our table a waitress came by, carrying about 10 liters of beer. We each got a liter, than another, and then most of another. It is truly amazing how quickly 3 liters of beer sneaks up on you. I distinctly remember walking at the New Cadet pace of 120 steps per minute to the nearest bathroom and anxiously waiting in line. I’m sure my face said exactly what everyone else’s face said, “This line needs to hurry up. NOW!”
After drinking for a while, Steve and Zach left to find a friend and the remaining four of us searched for a hookah bar. We eventually found one, smoked a mint hookah, and relaxed. We were shocked after smoking for a bit to realize that it was only 8:30 at night. At about 10 we headed back to Steve’s room and were dead asleep by 10:30.
While Oktoberfest was not life changing, it was certainly cool and a very enjoyable time. As I check “Go to Oktoberfest” off my bucket-list, I think that it was well worth the 160 Euro price of the train ticket.
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