A four hour drive north took Mark and I to Munich, Germany on Sunday the 28th of September. The purpose of our visit was the Oktoberfest, the home of the original. As we drove through Munich on our way to our accommodation (at an apartment of Matthew Komp's friend, Heinz) we took in the lovely streetscape of the city. From there we took two trains to get to Theresienplatz, the place where the fest is held.
The crowds were huge as we walked into the grounds. There were lots of thrilling rides, food stalls and beer halls. The halls are enormous, with large bands playing on a raised platform, so we could all see them. There were dancing songs, traditional singalong songs, and even a Robbie Williams song as well as the regularly sung "Ein Prosit" - a beer drinking song. The tables and stools needed to be super-strong as most people stand up on them to dance and sing. The steins that hold the beer are
very heavy and I needed to use two hands to hold my full glass. For soft drink and water you can buy half litre glasses, but for beer they only sell one size - large (one litre). We had beer, bratwurst, chicken, sauerkraut and a gigantic pretzel.The atmosphere is very friendly and happy and everyone seems to want to have a good time. Mark wanted to really get into the swing of things, therefore he bought a silly hat - and looked silly in it. We met quite a few people, mostly German, and had a fantastic evening.
The crowds were huge as we walked into the grounds. There were lots of thrilling rides, food stalls and beer halls. The halls are enormous, with large bands playing on a raised platform, so we could all see them. There were dancing songs, traditional singalong songs, and even a Robbie Williams song as well as the regularly sung "Ein Prosit" - a beer drinking song. The tables and stools needed to be super-strong as most people stand up on them to dance and sing. The steins that hold the beer are 
very heavy and I needed to use two hands to hold my full glass. For soft drink and water you can buy half litre glasses, but for beer they only sell one size - large (one litre). We had beer, bratwurst, chicken, sauerkraut and a gigantic pretzel.The atmosphere is very friendly and happy and everyone seems to want to have a good time. Mark wanted to really get into the swing of things, therefore he bought a silly hat - and looked silly in it. We met quite a few people, mostly German, and had a fantastic evening.
