There were about 20 minutes of sheer panic after I arrived and realized no one was there to pick me up, but then Bonnie rounded the corner and we set off together. The guy we stayed with, Flo, drove us to his house outside of Munich by autobahn, meaning we just kissed 100mph the whole way home. We also stopped at the football stadium to take a few pictures and ogle at its gleaming white, cushiony covering.
After we settled in at Flo's, Bonnie and I took the train into town to walk around and see the sites.
Downtown Munich is really, really beautiful. We came out of the train in the middle of a huge square, and there were people milling in every direction. Because Oktoberfest started this weekend, the entire city was jammed full of people from all over the world.
We walked around and did some shopping. We found about 4 HandM stores within several blocks of each other. We also managed to find the yellow church we could occasionally see in the skyline, as well as a walled garden filled with stone fountains and gravel paths.
That night we took the train to meet Franzi at Wunderbar, which was definitely an experience. The terrible music was way too loud, but I tried to drink slowly and bob my head occasionally.
The next day we woke up late and went to Oktoberfest. We met one of Flo's friends, Laura, who wore a complete drindl-- dress, white shirt, tits pushed up and ready to go. Bavarians wear these dresses or lederhosen during the two weeks of Oktoberfest, and it really seemed like the majority of people were dressed like that.
The park? Was jammed. Flo told us there were about 500 000 people there for opening day, and it felt like it. We did a few rides (I went on the swings that rose 60 meters above the ground) and then we went looking for some beer.
Which is not as easy as it sounds.
It seems like most beergardens won't serve unless people are settled at tables or in remote corners. And of course, every table is taken. So we pushed our way through several beergardens until we happened upon some people leaving a beautiful table in the corner. It was heaven-- the Italians sharing the space were nice, the sun was out of our eyes, and the chicken and pretzels were excellent.
I drank radler all day, which is a mix of beer and lemonade. I don't really like beer that much to begin with, but the fact that the beer was ONLY served in liter steins made me even more reuctant to order one for myself. So, I drank a mass at the beergarden, finished my chicken, and we all went off to search for somewhere else to sit.
Somehow--I'm still in the dark about how, exactly, we did it-- we got into a tent. After pushing through sweaty bodies and tripping past people passed out or groaning through hangover, we crossed the threshold and entered the blessed afterlife for lovers of all things party.
In every direction, there are benches and tables covered with people. Most of the people are in drindls or leiderhosen, and a good amount of these people stand on the benches. In every hand-- without exception-- there is a liter of beer. The roof is so high it gets hazy if you try to look up; the smoke from everyone's cigarettes doesn't help.
The lights are crowned in evergreen wreaths and ribbons, and just as we walked in, everyone was singing along to the band. We made our way through as the temperature went up about 10 degrees, and Flo found a table that had enough room for us to squeeze in. Of course, the men we sat with were seriously old and gross, and kept hitting on Bonnie. However, we made it work. The masses were flowing, the music was playing, and after about 3 hours, I knew the words to a few songs. My favorite is the one that involves swinging your glass in the air, thumping it down on the table, and switching hands to drink.
We left around 10 30 and had a ridiculous time trying to find everyone and leave for good. There's a club in the heart of downtown that was crammmmed full but still fun. We danced and hung out for hours and Bonnie met a boy in liederhosen.
The last day, I went to the lake with Flo and Bonnie and met some German people. We waded for awhile and got some sun, and then I ended the night watching Entourage. The next morning, as previously stated, I was up and ready to go by 5am. Flo was too, the poor guy, and he drove me to the airport for my flight.
I bought two cans of redbull (it's illegal in France; 'splain me that) and ready my book, and had an excellent time.
Then, of course, I had 5 hours of classes that culminated in me nodding off and being yelled at by my French professor. Scary.
The rest of my pictures are at flickr. As usual.
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