Oktoberfest. It was definitely an experience of a lifetime...and I had to go twice.
Let’s just say Oktoberfest was not what I was expecting. As cliché as it sounds, I was expecting it to be a huge drinking festival where the main concept was to drink as much as you can and have a great time. However, I was wrong… completely wrong yet I was glad I was.
See Oktoberfest in Munich was more of a celebration. A time to gather with friends and families and even strangers from around the world and just enjoy each others company while enjoying some good ole’ bier. Now I may be completely wrong (again) but this is how I interpreted it when I arrived and saw what was actually going on and frankly it’s much better than what I originally had in mind.
Now this doesn’t mean that every foreigner who attends Oktoberfest had the same realization as I did, there were still plenty of visitors (honestly they were mostly Americans, go figure) who came to party and party and party. Most of who just went from tent to tent to tent, drinking more beer than they probably should then ending up passed out drunk near the bathrooms (not making this up, the on call emergency team had their work cut out for them, especially the last weekend).
To be honest, this was what my first trip consisted of...except we stayed in one tent only and that was due to the fact that it was pouring down and I was not dressed for that. My dirndl did not do me justice in the freezing rainy weather that persisted the entire weekend I first attended Oktoberfest. So let’s start with my first trip to Oktoberfest and then compare it to my second trip.
On the opening weekend (September 17th) I, along with two other study abroad student, made our way from our hostel to the event. It was POURING and did not look like it was about to stop any time soon. So we woke up at 6 am to get to the event by 7 am so that we were first in line to get inside of a tent. We waited in the freezing cold while it rained on us for about 2 hours until they opened the doors at 9 am. THIS WAS THE SCARIEST/CRAZIEST PART. As soon as we shuffled our way into the tent (there were so many people waiting to get inside, I could barely move) everyone, and I mean EVERYONE started running around to claim tables. To be honest, it freaked me out because I felt as if I were in the middle of a riot about to get stomped to the ground. But we made it to a table (standing table that is) in one piece. Now the catch now was that since it was the opening day of Oktoberfest, the kegs were not able to be tapped until 12 pm. SO, we waited another 3 hours until the kegs could officially be tapped. Crazy right? I mean who in their right mind would stand and wait for 3 hours for them to tap a keg… well hundreds of people did and I was one of them. All in all, we finally got to enjoy our first Oktoberfest beer (I did end up having 4 but me and another girl shared, soooo like 2 each. Not bad, not bad.) and because of the weather we only stayed in one tent and didn’t get to experience the rest of Oktoberfest.
So… as you could imagine when I had the opportunity to attend a second time, beer really wasn’t on my priority list. Been there done that but I knew there was so much more that Oktoberfest had to offer. In a way, it was like a giant carnival that you were just able to have alcohol at. I was determined to see the other parts of Oktoberfest and that’s exactly what I did… for the first half of my time being there lol…
Okay so when we first got there the very first thing I did with a group of friends (great traveling buddies, I’m actually traveling with them to the South of Italy soon, yay!) was go on this insane roller coaster that didn’t have 1 or 2 loops but a total of 5 loops. I’m not sure if anyone knows this but the first time I ever rode a roller coaster I cried… and this was only my second time on a roller coaster so I was quite nervous. But I was determined to try it and to be honest, it was so much fun even though it cost me €9.00. After that we went on a ride that was very similar to the Swings ride at our Hawaii carnival BUT this swings went extremely high and extremely fast. These German engineers don’t mess around! Although it was not what I was expecting at all, it was a ride I’ll never forget. As for the rest of my day, I of course had to get some beers and cocktails. I also came across my favorite tent! It was a dessert themed tent so as you could imagine I was simply in heaven!
Overall, I would say that the two trips combined made my experience of Oktoberfest that much memorable. I am ecstatic to say that I came and conquered and now can officially cross it off my bucket list. I would highly recommend everyone to visit if they ever get the chance, it’s definitely not all about the beer as most people make it to be, trust me!
That’s my Oktoberfest story, short and simple. More to come soon on Croatia and Barcelona!
What else is on my agenda so far? Well, I’ll be on my way to Nice, France very shortly then I’ll be traveling to the South of Italy for my Fall Break and finally I will be traveling to Ireland in November! Exciting things are happening so stay tuned!
Xoxo,
Jossy
P.S. Oktoberfest you were one for the books and I’ll definitely do my best to see you again <3
