Oktober means "beer" in German

Ok, obviously that's not true, but most people associate the month of October with Oktoberfest, which equals a large amount of beer. And if you live under a rock and don't know what Oktoberfest is, go here.

This weekend was my Oktoberfest weekend. It started out on Friday with a few friends and I heading down to Munich for the day. Contrary to what most Americans celebrate, the actual Oktoberfest starts in the middle of September and ends the first weekend in October, so we hit up one of the last celebrations for the year. You don't have to go with reserved seats, but you're much less likely to have to wait in the atrocious lines if you do, so that's what we did. Our tickets were for the Hippodrom tent, which is one of the big tents and pretty much the first one you see walking in.

Needless to say, there are copious amounts of beer to be had inside the tents. The traditional drink container is called a Maß (pronounced "moss"), which holds a full liter of beer, which is stronger than even regular German beer (on average, 5.8 - 6.2% by volume). Those who know me know that I rarely drank in the states, especially beer, but it's much more of a social thing here, and I'm slowly growing accustomed to it. Plus, the beer here is WAY better than anything stateside that's not imported. So, yes, I did actually drink; just over two Maßen, in fact. And that was plenty. (Don't worry, I didn't drive there)

We all had a great time, and of course there were some entertaining moments inside the tent (see below and look for my album on Facebook).

I couldn't help but wonder if my Aunt Judy was hanging around these ladies in spirit. I could totally see her donning her habit and hitting up Oktoberfest!

 What most people refer to as "beer wenches" in the states are actually a traditional dress called a Dirndl. You see them being worn around Bavaria during all times of the year for various events and celebrations, although in the rest of Germany they are generally thought of as costumes. Since Oktoberfest is in the state of Bavaria, I didn't want to stand out by not wearing one, so I bit the bullet and bought one. A real Dirndl is an investment, and you're lucky if you find one for less than $150 (after conversion and without tax). I have no regrets in spending the money, though; I love my Dirndl! The only thing I'm missing is an industrial strength push-up bra!

My new furry friend in Lederhosen is named Wiesn (pronounced Veezn), which is the German name for Oktoberfest (check on the link above for the explanation). I have decided that instead of carrying around a gnome to take pictures of during my travels, he will be my new travel buddy. He and I are planning lots of adventures as we speak, so be on the lookout for him hanging around. He helped me finish a Maß and conquered Oktoberfest.

Wiesn and my next adventure was the Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart on Sunday. It's a little bit smaller than the traditional Oktoberfest celebration in Munich, but still has about 3 million visitors annually. The giant man and the bird talked and sang to each other while moving around (in place, obviously), which was quite interesting. And of course, what European celebration would be complete without some sex products? I met up with a few friends later on in the afternoon for more celebration, but this time I stayed away from the beer for driving's sake. However, I discovered that Wiesn is a bear after my own heart, and he was naturally attracted to where the food was.




So, all in all, it was a fantastic weekend of friends, alcohol, fun, food, and life. Throw in a little high school football coverage on Saturday, and you've got yourself one heck of a party. Thank goodness that Monday was a holiday, because I needed it to recover :)

'Until next time, tschuss!