Oktoberfest

I attempted to attend Oktoberfest this past Saturday with some of my fellow Salzburg TAs. I honestly have to give Oktoberfest and Munich a negative rating right now. Saturday is definitely not the day to go to Oktoberfest and Munich is not the most fun city during Oktoberfest! I’ve heard that it’s best to go on a weekday and get there early, which we did not do, of course. Granted, I am not a big crowd person. They stress me out easily and that is what I remember most about the day, how many people there were in the city.

We left mid-morning on the train to Munich. The train was packed! By the end of the ride, people were standing in any free spot. There was also a stop close to Munich where people were unable to get on the train. I guess they had to wait for the next one? We were so lucky we got on in Salzburg, because we were able to find seats before the train got too crowded.

Once arriving in Munich, we followed the crowds to Oktoberfest. We were also being followed by some obnoxious Americans that were commenting loudly on everything. They were truly “ugly Americans.” The first I’ve seen and heard since being here, so I’m grateful for that! Once inside the fairgrounds, we walked around for a couple of hours. Well, walked isn’t the best word. There were so many people, that I felt like I was just bumping around from person to person, like bumper cars, but with people instead of cars. And it wasn’t really fun. The weather was beautiful, luckily, and the food I ate was good, but overall, Oktoberfest wasn’t that much fun.

When most people think of Oktoberfest, I’m sure they imagine beer gardens, beer halls, dirndls, lederhosen and huge mugs of beer. Well, all of that is at Oktoberfest, but it’s actually more of a carnival atmosphere. There are rides and a ton of food stands for people that can’t get into the beer halls. Unfortunately, arriving at noon on a Saturday means that you won’t get into one of the beer halls. So I didn’t get to have my huge mug of beer. I did eat a super long sausage in a bun, a Fanta and a Pfannkuche (like a crepe) with cinnamon and sugar.  We made the rounds at Oktoberfest and then decided to call it quits. It was impossible to get into any of the beer halls!

We made our way to Altstadt, the center of the city. We went to a famous brewery in Munich, called St. Augustiner. I googled it when I got home and it’s one of the most popular breweries in Munich. The beer is even somewhat popular all the way north in Berlin! It’s also considered the last truly local brewery in Munich. I copied one of the other TAs and ordered a dark beer. It was actually really good! Probably the best part of the day. I also finally got to eat the pretzel I’d been craving since being in Munich. The pretzels at Oktoberfest are massive! I wanted to buy one even if I couldn’t eat it all. Next time!

We were exhausted by Oktoberfest. On the train back, I struggled to stay away. Once back in Salzburg, I went with two other TAs to Café Sacher. Café Sacher is famous for their Sacher Torte, which is a chocolate cake with a thin lay of apricot preserves. I had a piece of the cake and a hot chocolate. I was completely sugared about by the cake and drink, though both were really good. I had planned to stay with another Salzburg TA, but I was able to catch one of the last trains back to Bischofshofen. Coming home after midnight was a test run to see how I feel about coming back home that late at night. Of course, I was fine! I’m just a little paranoid about coming home by myself late at night.

I will have to give Munich a second chance. I understand that it is a wonderful city, but I found it hard to enjoy it with all the people. There is a yarn store just outside of Munich, so I will be visiting again. After I get paid!