Oktoberfest 2008

Apparently we only needed to know 3 Bavarian words:

1. Servus!.....Hello/Goodbye!
2. Mass........The 1 litre glass mug you drink beer out of at Oktoberfest
3. Prost!.......Cheers!

Yes. We were at Oktoberfest! I mean sure, we've been to those mini-celebrations in various California towns like Old World in Huntington Beach and I have enjoyed my fair share of frosty mugs. But this was the real thing! And an authentic costume to wear from Simone is waiting for me in all it's glory. To my delight the drindl was absolutely breathtaking - a beautiful vintage piece. (photo of Stacy) I couldn't stop laughing out loud how new and exhilarating this was! This was one of those occassions where I couldn't contain my excitement. For half my life I have envisioned what this celebration must be like and now we are about to experience it.

I wasn't alone. (Photo of us) Lederhosen was everywhere I turned! Carnival music and the sweet smell of sugar-covered nuts filled the air. The day before was cold and rainy, but today the sun decided to shine brightly and warm us well - appropriately wonderful weather for the last day of Oktoberfest!

Allow me to interject and tell you briefly about Robert & Simone. When Andy and I were in Tuscany, Italy with my Dad & Judy two weeks ago we stayed at a B&B Farmhouse called Le Cetinelle in the countryside for one night. As we unloaded our bags, Robert asked us if we were Canadian because of all the patches of countries we have visited are adhered onto our bags. No, we're American but nice to meet you! We chatted for a couple of hours together after dinner, learned they were from Munich and invited us to stay with them. I envisioned this sort of instance in my many months of dreaming about this year-long trip. Meeting wonderful, warm people who paths cross with ours in some positive way. They say having goals with visualization increases the chance of achievement ten fold.

So here we are weaving our way through the crowds and stopped for a Bavarian delicious white sausage (photo). We haven't even had a beer yet! Suddenly, it was time to meet Roland, Mimi and Christian at the entrance of the Scohottemhane Spatennbrau tent. What? Not only are we at Oktoberfest with our friends but we have met a few more and we have tickets for a table at a box inside? How cool is this?!
"Servus!" Andy called out to the tent people sitting on loads of benches with a smile. There had to be a sea of over 8,000 people inside! By now, we we couldn't wait for a mass. This was definitely an experience that required a buzz. The litres of beer arrived at our lacquered wooden table and as Roland advised, this one will go down especially fast. An important rule we learned is that one absolutely cannot take a sip of this 6% beer without making eye contact with someone and announcing "PROST!" One must never drink alone at Oktoberfest! That's a lot of prost'ing. So much, in fact, that Andy shattered his glass! Photo.

Time (and liters of beer) passed quickly along with a melt-in-your-mouth rotisserie chicken quarter. By the end of the evening, we were all a bit bleary-eyed, grinning with our arms around each other's neck and singing German Oktoberfest songs. (Photo) Somehow, I could sing along by the end! There were a few Freddie Mercury songs as well, such as "We are the Champions." Freddie the flamboyant was a frequenter of Munich who enjoyed both his champagne and members of his entourage in the clubs. In any other city, playing Queen wouldn't be so fitting!

I will always remember this special night, in costume drinking Bavarian beer with our German friends in Munich 2008. MUNICH: Soft pretzels, white sausages, drizzling rain, Schloss Nymphenburg Palace, bike riding, long discussions over dinner, nights out on the town...we will be back again.

Complete Photo Album of Oktoberfest. For some odd reason, Andy's Mac won't upload photos to the body of this blog. Sad:(