Prost!

 Thursday, September 24

Today we embarked on a 2 hour bus trip for the main reason we booked this particular cruise…Oktoberfest in Munich! A surprise bonus was a comfort break at the BMW headquarters on the way. I was this week old when I realized that BMW was an abbreviation for Bavarian Motor Works. The showroom was very impressive and included the latest BMW models as well as the Mini-Cooper and Rolls Royce (I didn’t know that BMW made both of these brands). From this location we could also see the 1972 Olympic housing which are now apartments. 

Our tour guides met us at BMW and took us on the subway to Munich’s Old Town. Don and I took the kids here about 20 years ago but of course have forgotten a lot about it. We walked past the Munich Residenz which is a former royal palace that I didn’t remember and the Hofbråuhaus, the famous 16th century beer hall which I did remember - go figure..

We ended up in the Marienplatz which is the square where the Town Halls are located and the famous Glockenspiel, a 16th century mechanical clock tower. Our guides were so organized that we made it there by 12 noon which is the only time it does its 15 minute show. The show is done in 2 parts. The top tier figures tell the story of a 1568 royal wedding and includes a jousting tournament between Duke Wilhelm V and Renata of Lorraine. Then the bottom tier has dancing figures that recreate the Schåfflertanz dance commemorating the end of the plague in 1635. 

From there we took another subway ride to Theresienwiese, a festival ground where the 191st Oktoberfest was in full swing. Oktoberfest started in Munich on October 12, 1810 as a public wedding celebration for Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.The success of the event resulted in this becoming an annual celebration combining it with the state agricultural fair. The dates have been moved to September to take advantage of warmer temperatures although it was kind of drizzly the day we visited. 

Because it was Thursday and in the early afternoon, the crowds were not too bad. It doesn’t cost a thing to enter and the number of amusement rides could rival Elitches. Of course there are food booths everywhere but you have to go into a tent and sit at a table to be served a beer. The “tents”  are massive with wood framing that makes you think you are in a permanent building. Each tent is run by traditional Munich breweries. Only Munich brewed Wiesen beer is served. Some tents are rowdier than others. We poked our heads inside one where the party was in full swing and few seats to be had. We ended up going into the Historic section and found a tent which had traditional dancers and band. Your only option for beer is a 1 liter stein with the alcohol content of a six pack of Bud Light. 

Surprisingly, all of our guides said that the traditional food to get there is roast chicken - not bratwurst. Their suggestion was correct because the chicken was terrific. Most locals wear traditional Bavarian clothing which is lederhosen for men and dirndls for women. It was fun to people watch and see all of the different styles. We have later found out that women wear bows strategically on their dirndls to signify if they are married, single, or widowed. Waitresses wear their bow in the back and that signifies “don’t mess with me!” 

Oktoberfest was definitely an event to attend. Such a fun atmosphere enjoyed by all ages. I think we need to attend again and definitely sporting a dirndl and spiffy lederhosen!