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Published: September 30th 2011
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Prost!
First Beers at Oktoberfest Hallo!
So, Craig and I have returned from our trip to Germany for Oktoberfest. We spent 15ish hours driving from London to Dover, then catching the ferry to Calais, France, driving through France and reaching our campsite in Munich, Germany. We did our tour through Busabout, and they were fantastic. Met so many people and took a lot of drunken photos... you'll see some, but some should never be seen! hehe!
We arrived earlier than expected for our 1st day in Munich, so we managed to quickly change into our sexy orange tour shirts and jump on the shuttle bus to the Oktoberfest grounds. Our tour guide described it as Adult Disney Land... it has all the rides, food, games, souvenir shops PLUS beer! The beer halls were HUGE! and there were so many giant beer halls it was impossible to have a drink in all of them. (the main reason was that if you weren't seated at a table, then you weren't served, therefore you would miss out on a drink). Basic plan is to stay where you are if you manage to get a seat. The first day/night we had a table reserved with our tour, but
Lederhosen
Drinking outside at Oktoberfest then went for a walk to check out the rest of the grounds/tents, but when we got back our table was gone... not to worry though, we'd made friends with the beer maids and they kicked some "kids" off our table and gave it back to us! we stayed there drinking and dancing on benches for the rest of the night. Even I drank beer. I think my total for that night was 3 or 4... LITRES! not bad for someone who doesn't drink beer! I think Craig managed 7L that day. We were lucky that our tour offered free shuttles to and from the campsite, so we jumped on one of those and crawled into our tent and pretty well passed out (after being awake for about 36 hours, and drinking for 12 of those!)
Day 2 at Oktoberfest: We separated from the group and walked into Munich town centre to go shopping for our traditional outfits... Lederhosen (leather trousers) for Craig and a drindl (dress) for me. Once we found those (i walked up to the counter wearing mine to pay for it) we wandered back to Oktoberfest. Craig changed into his lederhosen and we went about
Practising his beer holding
The maids could carry around 9-12 of these! finding our group... but they were nowhere to be found, so we found a table outside of the Lowenbrau hall. We stayed there for the rest of the day, as they halls were too packed they went letting anyone else in. We sat and talked to the rotations of people who came to share our tables. Russians, French-canadians, Lithuanians, Americans, Germans (yes, there are a few there) and a few other randoms. Was a great day! We found out later, that barely any of our tour group got a table (so were therefore unable to get a drink) so they all went back to the campsite to drink at the bar there. We were told to try a pork knuckle, but we didnt understand the menu, so we finally got to order one when we made friends with some Germans. It was AMAZING! melt in your mouth meaty goodness, with crackling that was perfect. not a cheap meal, but worth it. We also ate a lot of giant pretzels... good for soaking up all that beer.
Day 3: we had the option of doing Oktoberfest again, but we decided to go on a day trip with our tour to
Neuschwanstein Castle
Panoramic shot taken by me from the bridge. Neuschwanstein Castle, which was the inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle... so there you go! We had to climb a massive hill to get there, so I immediately regretted the maxi-dress I was wearing and my thong footwear... but oh well! We did it, and it was so worth it. to get really good shots/view of the castle there was an even further trek/hill to climb, but we did that too, and the view from the bridge was amazing! After the walk downhill (much better) we went for a tour of the castle. There's some interesting history with this castle built by King Ludwig, but he died before its completion, so you get to see what was completed, like the servants quarters, music room, living room, his bedroom and secret room (which was his ensuite- his toilet looked like a throne) Everything is so elaborately decorated and carved its insane! Really did suit the fairytale concept he pictured.
Anyways, after our day trip to the castle, we had a shower, changed into our outfits and headed back to Oktoberfest! We predicted successfully that we would be unable to get a table/drink, so we planned to spend the night eating
and going on rides. The food there is so good! Bratwurst, Nutella Crepes, Corn on the cob and much more! We ended up only going on one ride, which was pretty good, and we saved more money that way... We returned to the campsite, but Craig was having beer withdrawals, so we got him a stein back at the campsite bar... this was enough to tide him over til we got to Stuttgart.
Day 4: Drove to Stuttgart where we stayed in a hostel!! ahh a bed!! and a hot shower, and a toilet seat!! (you don't realise how much you appreciate them, til they are not there... haha!) We also appreciated not having to pay for toilet use, which you have to do at rest stops across Germany. But, I got sidetracked... oh yes! Shower, "kebab" (yiros), walking to town centre for brief touristy walk... we were taken to a rooftop beergarden... unfortunately it was closed. Apparently Stuttgart had had a week of rainy weather so they closed for the season (only open for summer) so when we arrived, it was just a carpark and shell of the pub... sad day in Stuttgart... Not to worry! We headed
Throne room
We weren't supposed to take pictures inside the castle, but this was the light and ceiling. back to the hostel, and got ready for our night at Volksfest!
Volksfest is a smaller, lesser known beer festival... It's not something tourists really go to. Our group was the only non-German speaking group there... which made it quite interesting when trying to order. Luckily most Germans learn English, and the band that was playing sang the occasional song in English. Those songs went mental cos we all sang at the tops of our lungs (mostly because we knew the words and were all drunk). After a night of dancing on the benches, singing and drinking, making new friends, and forgetting about the upcoming bus ride the next day back to London, we all had an awesome night. Was made even better by the fact we all got to stay together, rather than split up like we were at Oktoberfest. Train ride back to the hostel was loud... haha! Bed was good. Late check out, even better!
Day 5: Last day, we were left to explore the town and relax until 4pm when we had to climb back into the bus and begin the 15hr drive back to London... At least it was sunny when we got
The Bridge
How far away the bridge was where we took the pics of the castle from. back! Hooray for London's mini heatwave... 28C is a heatwave... haha cute.
Day 6: Put load of washing on. Sleep.
There's a lot I missed out, but I think this is too much to read already - sorry! I know I'm tired of typing, so sorry!
We're off to Corfu on Tuesday the 4th til the 11th. Craig's taking me there for my Birthday. Don't forget 😉 6th... write that down.... hahaha!
Prost! (that means "cheers" in German)
Over and out.
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