Oktoberfest

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The first trip we took while working in Germany was to Oktoberfest. I knew three coworkers, also from DC, that were working in Heidelberg, Germany at the time. I convinced a coworker working with me at Ramstein (Bill), to come with us. We all drove down to Garmisch, Germany together. Hotels in Munich were sold out and train tickets were super cheap so we decided to stay farther out. The mountains in Garmisch were the first I'd ever seen - the real, tall, snow capped mountains that everyone wants to see. They were amazing and I couldn't stop taking pictures! We went to a bar the first night (Peaches?!) to have some dinner and do some dancing. I think this was the beginning of a connection for Bill and I. Since we were working together, I was the only one who knew him well and we spent the most time together.... Taking the train to Munich was an easy ride and we spent the whole day walking around the festival, riding rides, and choosing a good beer tent. We stood outside the whole time since the tents were so crowded, but the beers were so big that it wasn't a problem - we didn't need refills immediately like any other bar. The beers were so big and heavy my hands were sore the next day! The festival was crazy with so many people it was easiest to just stay at your tent and not venture out into the crowds. After the festival, we decided to go out for dinner in Munich but we were all so tired, we just headed back to Garmisch. I'd love to go back when it wasn't Oktoberfest to actually spend some uninterrupted time in the city. After staying over in Garmisch again, we drove down to Fussen, Germany to see the Neuschwanstein castle (Cinderella castle). We had to drive through Austria just to say we'd been there, then went on to the castle and had lunch nearby. Then we headed up to our work sites (in a ton of traffic) to end out the weekend.

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