I'm sure Lauren got her fill of Augustiner while she visited. Once again we dressed up in our dirndls and hit up the Oktoberfest. I made the bad choice of wearing my second dirndl, so they both now smell like smoke. Theoretically this is supposed to be the last year of smoking at Oktoberfest, however I am not sure it will be. 
At Oktoberfest there are many tables reserved, however they are open during the afternoon, so we still had plenty of time to enjoy a few beers. As we sat and waited on a group of friends to arrive we also made several new friends from the UK and Rosenheim, a city not too far from Munich.
Part of the fun is never knowing who you will meet. It's also interesting to watch the dynamics - groups of young guys who build up their courage to approach ladies after a few beers, or groups staking out a table for hours on end. 
The group that joined us asked if they could sit down and then asked where we were from. Lauren responded America and they told her they liked Americans. Then she continued on about how they had to be nice to us because soon we'd be living in boxes due to the economic crisis going on. It's always surprising to Americans because conversations can quickly turn political, especially with the upcoming elections. I often find at Oktoberfest people will agree with whatever you have to say (except not always in regards to politics) if you have a table and they don't. Even so, it was nice to chat with them and share several beers. We even exchanged phone numbers.
It was nice that Lauren got to experience all of Oktoberfest because it is quite different at nightfall. I really love all of the blinking lights and colors, which are even more vibrant at night. Thankfully we didn't encounter huge crowds thanks to a slight drizzle. 
As an interesting side note, I noticed there were signs in the ladies restrooms that were stating it was safe place if you were being sexually harassed. What I found odd was that they were only written in German. Hopefully next year they can at least write them in English and German to be a little more accommodating to tourists.
Only 353 days until Oktoberfest 2009!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Augustiner Oktoberfest
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3 comments:
You're right, the signs should be in other languages. That is an important sign!
I'm so glad that you guys were able to make it to Oktoberfest so often. Great time to go to Munich! I really like the tents in the afternoon, but you're right that all the sights are really cool at night.
Great photos of Oktoberfest. I'll add it to my must-visit list.
allison...
I heard a man the other day speaking German and then he said 'in New German' and started speaking English. I think sometimes they aren't so progressive, but I know it's hard when English really does start to dominate.
bluefish...
I'm glad you liked the photos! I think once you've been you won't have a huge urge to go back because it's a lot of the same thing, but it is interesting for sure.
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