Oktoberfest, the one place where people all over the world come to celebrate their love of beer. Before studying abroad, everyone at Santa Clara who had already gone abroad said their favorite weekend of traveling is to Munich. Now, I understand why.
Not only was Oktoberfest amazing, but the city of Munich was so beautiful as well. First off, Munich has one of the coolest airports that I've ever traveled to. When you walk out of baggage claim this is what you see! ...And there are planes flying over it! I am proud to say that we were able to conquer the transportation system, even in another language with a completely different alphabet. We had an hour long train ride from the airport to the center of munich, where we found our hotel -- about three blocks away.
After settling in, we decided to check out the area! Before reaching Oktoberfest we stumbled upon St. Patrick's Church. Inside, Hilary and I lit candles for our grandparents before climbing up hundreds of stairs to reach the top of the church that overlooked the entire city. It was amazing to see all of the Oktoberfest grounds before entering the area. Oktoberfest consists of tents after tents of beer houses (with beer maids, who bring you your beer), as well as rides, games booths, and more fattening food that I've ever seen in one place.
We checked out Oktoberfest, went into a few tents to see thousands of people singing, eating, and drinking beer. The majority of people visiting Oktoberfest wear the traditional attire, which is Lederhos'n and a checkered shirt for men and the Direndl dress for women. At the festival, all of the Santa Clara kids meet at the Hofbrauhaus Tent. We decided to go to the actual Hofbrauhaus house, located in downtown Munich for dinner and our first beers! The jugs are absolutely huge, and I must admit I did not finish mine that night (each jug ranges around 4-6 beers)!
Saturday Morning we rose at the crack of dawn (7 am) to get in line for the Hofbrauhaus Tent! We got into the tent and started the Santa Clara table, were more and more broncos continued to join in! There were over 50 Santa Clara kids covering two rows of tables. It was incredible being able to catch up with so many of my friends who are studying across Europe from Rome, Sienna, Madrid, Barcelona, and Sevilla. Hilary and I toasted our first beer - which I drank! Shocker, I know. My friends and family are well aware of my dislike for beer; however, beer and I were able to put aside our differences for one day to enjoy the festivities.
Oktoberfest was one of the coolest things I've ever experienced in my life. Not only was it amazing to experience this culture, but also to meet the hundreds of people who travel from across the world to experience it. We sat with men from Switzerland who drove to Munich for the day for the annual Oktoberfest. Hilary and I also went on rides in the afternoon and met the Austrian men's soccer team!
One of the best parts of Oktoberfest is the atmosphere. Everyone, and I mean everyone is so happy! Here, Eloise and I were about to take a picture, when this boy wanted to jump in! I hope one day I can go back - and maybe even bring Brendan! :)
