Bird's Fest

---

Geo: 48.1391, 11.5802

More than we were hoping for. A mixture of carnival (rides and games of all kinds), stalls selling all kinds of German food imaginable (sausages, pretzels, pommes frites), other stalls selling souvenirs (beer steins, coffee cups, keychains and t-shirts), and then the beer tents. They are really not tents but permanent buildings with a canvas ceiling (thus tents) that seat between 4,500 and 10,000 and are all differently decorated. There are 14 large tents and 20 small tents. We visited about 10 of the 14 large tents and no small ones. No, we did not have a beer at each tent. A beer is a liter severed in a large glass stein. We shared two (more beer than we have drank in a day in many years) and some German sausages. In fact, food is a very major component of the fest. Each tent had a very large kitchen with an assembly line providing a great variety of food to the patrons.

The atmosphere in the tents was electric. People dancing on tables (yet no one intoxicated), sharing noisy toasts and spontaneously erupting into singing that occasionally the band followed. You do know that each tent had a 15 or so piece brass band? The Germans knew the songs and would sing along. Also there were middle school kids and some older dressed in appropriate attire who would participate in various ways, excepting the consumption of beer. Everyone was friendly. We had conversation each time we sat.

This is a massive event. Several hundred thousand people must have attended during the day, and from what we hear, more at night. Sorry, we are geriatric and only attend at daytime. We chatted with a German on the train traveling back to our guesthouse, and he commented that one of his most enjoyable features of this Fest is meeting people from all over the world.

We are going to show you pictures of perhaps five tents. Yes, maybe redundant, but you can see the different decorations.

We understand there has been rain in the southeast. Well here, it has been glorious. Neither of us recall as prolonged a period of clear skies when we lived here. Today there was not a cloud with temps about 15-17, also known as low to mid 60's F.

Tomorrow we leave for the northern Italian lakes. Carol Ann and Vicki may recall seeing a Roman pleasure ship that was raised from a lake when they were here. This area has large natural lakes (you may have heard of Lake Como, our first lake) with surrounding mountains. A border is shared with Switzerland. It is a long drive, and we are making it longer by traveling through Garmisch and St. Moritz.

---

Comments

[Mike]

Can't believe ya did not have a beer in every tent! When you get to lake Garda which is just above Verona you will find my presence there. I worked there summers when I lived in Verona and Vicenza . In Verona go to the Roman arena. We went
to the opera there , drank wine and ate poninas and waited for the fat lady to sing. Between Verona and Vicenza is Romeo & Juliette's castles at montecchio maggipre which is 2 km from Alta ceccato where I lived in the yellow / biege apartment bldg. behind the Alta ceccato air compressor factory. Have lunch at the castle.