Oktoberfest!!! Need I say more?

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Bye Bye Vienna. Onwards to Munich, and Oktoberfest.

For those of you who live under a rock, or have never heard of it, Oktoberfest is a 16-day funfair held annually in Munich. It is an important part of Bavarian culture, having started in 1810, therefore as it is historical we had to check it out.

On the drive to Munich, we were pulled over by the Bavarian cops, and escorted to their station. We had to show them our passports, itineraries and we had to declare if we had any drugs on us or in our suitcases. This included the shi-sha that some of the boys had bought in Barcelona. Luckily we were only held up there for two hours while they were going through paper work with our bus driver, and we made it to Munich just before 3pm. There we were given a few options: go on the bike tour, go shopping, or head straight to Oktoberfest. A few went straight there, and I went shopping to get a dirndl dress- traditional Oktoberfest outfit for women. The dress style originates from Almsach or Hammerschmid. The men traditionally wear a Lederhosen. I managed to find a cute dirndl for under €30 so I was happy about that.

At the allocated time, we got picked up and then went to Oktoberfest! It was huge! Over 40 tents of beer and food halls, and over 6 million people visit every year. When we arrived I purchased a pretzel- It was massive, but it was cheap and delicious. Everyone on our contiki group got mixed up so I made friends with some other contiki group members and few locals. I bought my first stein- it was massive, holding about 1.5 Liters. The beer maids were amazing, coming out with 10 steins in two hands! The best way to get good service is to give the beer maids a great tip the first time they come around with your beers, then you'll get great service all night long. The average stein costs between €8- €10. A couple of steins later, I decided that I couldn't handle any more beer, so I thought that I should try out some of the rides and attractions. All the rides were a couple of Euro. I went on the Ferris Wheel which was €8 but the view from the top was spectacular, the dodge-em karts which was hilarious because must of the people driving them had a few too many steins, I went on a rollercoaster called the Olympic rings (it had 5 rings: 4 loop and 1 corkscrew- I do NOT recommend this if you are drunk) and then I went to do some shooting.

After Oktoberfest closed, we all went back to our hostel, and continued to dance the night away in our private bar.

Top Tips for Oktoberfest:

1- Tip the beer maids well.

2. If you want a stein from Oktoberfest you can either buy one there, or just take one from the floor- they are ridiculously expensive in St Goar.

The next morning we had breakfast in our hotel and drove off to Dachau- one of the Concentration Camps from the World War. It was an extremely sobering and moving experience. A lot of people have asked me why contiki took us there, and I tell them it is a huge part of our lives. Most of us have family members who fought in the wars, and Dachau is a part of a history that is brutal and sad, but it happened and we have to educate ourselves on what happened. There was not a dry eye from any of us on the bus. Luckily Toni, had a supply of tissues for us all to use, and chocolates in hand. I think what hit us most was the memorial section they have to the Jews who were imprisoned and lost their lives, it was truly beautiful.

We were on the bus and started the drive into Austrian Tyrol, time to experience some adrenaline.

Bye for now.

x

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