Paulaner Brewery Tour + Free Beer

I've always thought the breweries here should offer tours akin to those offered at the champagne houses in Reims. Last year I read about the sightseeing beer tour, which pays a visit to Spatenbräu.

We're bigger Augustiner and Paulaner consumers, so I filed it away as something that might be fun when we have visitors.

Today I booked a Paulaner tour, which includes a tour of the brewery, beer taping course, tasting of 3 beers, a brotzeit, and a 2 course meal. The discounted offer is good for the next week with random dates from May through October.

Is it sad that I will be proud to hang my beer taping course certificate?

Another date to mark in your calendar, if you're in Munich, is 23 April. This is the day of the Reinheitsgebot anniversary for the purity law that went into effect back in 1516. The city celebrates with 1000 liters (Maß) of beer for free.

To be part of the celebrations make sure you're at the beer fountain at Oskar-von-Miller-Ring 1. It will probably be a little chaotic since it's on a Saturday this year. Prost!

Expat Tips

The decision to move abroad can be daunting. It's probably not for everyone, although I do personally believe everyone has something to gain from seeing the world from another vantage point.

It's incredible how many different ways there are to do things and there isn't a 'right' way to do them, despite what many tell you, which is why I left the questions open ended. In my experience those who never have ventured out of their comfort zone tend to be the loudest in letting you know their way is the best. Some things work for certain people and not for others.

I've frequently been asked about considerations and for tips on starting a life in another country. Many of these things apply to living anywhere in the world when moving internationally. I'm not an immigration lawyer or expert, so I don't have the answers to all of those questions, but this list may help in putting things into perspective.

If you're trying to immigrate to the United States check out Visa Journey or enter the green card lottery.

- Missing family, friends, foods, and certain aspects of 'home' is difficult on the emotional end. People say the will visit and don't, they may not understand your life, and they may fall off the face of the earth. Dealing with a substantial time change makes contacting people difficult and it's not uncommon to be the last to know the latest news among family and friends. Thankfully there is skype, instant messaging, emails, and snail mail. You'll quickly find out who remembers you. At times it can be disappointing, but make the effort to keep in touch with those you care about.

- Be prepared to never feel fully 'home' again. You'll most likely always miss someone or some thing once you've moved. This is probably true in moving city to city, but more noticeable when dealing with other cultures as well. There are high highs and low lows, so just prepare yourself for that. Or at least make yourself think you're prepared for that.

- It's not vacation every day. Sometimes things become common place and the excitement can wear off once the everyday life sets in. Believe it or not there are still chores to be done and bills to pay, occasionally the seemingly easy (hello, washing machine) has suddenly become difficult.

- Some people are sent abroad for jobs, some fall in love, and some simply find a city that they dream of living in. These considerations will apply to everyone, although some circumstances make things much easier:

Visas + Permits

• What will you need to do to apply for a visa (x-rays, police records, translated official documents, etc)? How long will it take to process? What are the benefits and limitations of specific types of visa, and can you choose from different visa options? [If moving to Germany read this]

• Is there a possibility to obtain dual-citizenship? How long does it take?

• Are your passport, driver's license, job certifications, other forms of ID, shots/vaccinations, etc are all up to date before you apply for a visa and especially before you move? Applying for renewals from abroad is a big hassle. Sometimes it must be done in person.

• Is there are reciprocity for exchanging a driver's license to the locals license? Will you have to pay money or take courses?

• Do you have copies of important papers including notorized or apostilled copies of marriage licenses or transcripts?

• Does the country have any particular rules pertaining to expats, ie. having to hire a certain number of local employees (cook, gardener, maid, etc)?

Work Life

• Do you need a work visa before entering the country or can you get one after you arrive?

• If moving for your job or transferring with the company what issues will be important to you to negotiate?

• If married, will both partners be allowed to work? Are there job perspectives for both partners? If one partner can't work, what are their other options?

• Are spouses or partners invited to workplace functions?

• If you lose your job is there a distinct amount of time before you are forced to leave the country?

Health Care

• Will you have access to the (public) healthcare system? If not, what can you expect to pay in insurance, and what will this insurance cover, and when?

• What types of medications difficult to find or illegal to bring?

• What kind of immunizations / vaccinations will you need before going?

Food + Water

• Is it okay to drink tap water or from a distilled bottle even though it doesn't look clear?

• Are there cooking ingredients that are not available that should be brought?

• What type of measuring system do they use for foods? Should you bring measuring cups or a cook book of their ethnic dishes in your local language?

Everyday Life

• Are you able to drive in your new country? Rent a car?

• Is it pedestrian / bike friendly?

• Is there a subway / public transport system? How expensive is it?

• Can/should you ship your car? If so what are the additional safety/enviromental regulations? Are there road taxes?

• For the city/region, how's telecom (generally)? Is it typical to have your house phone/internet up and running within a week or two or is the wait more like 6-8 weeks, in which case are wireless cards/keys worth it?

• Will your electronics work there or will you have to buy tons of adapters + convertors?

• Is there a book store with publications in your native language?

• Are your DVD's or games going to work over there (region free, etc. )? Does your DVD player have a 'cracking' code?

• What are the area's religious views? Will this change the way you practice your own faith? Will you need to wear special clothing to blend in with others?

Children

• Do you want to potentially have children there? What is pregnancy and childbirth like in this country?

• Would the child / children have the ability to gain a second citizenship? How do you register births with your homeland(s)?

• What kind of educational system is there for children?

• What kind of activities/after-school programs are offered?

• How will the school communicate with you (for those who don't yet speak the language)?

• What is expected of you as a parent (as in contributing volunteer hours, etc)?

• What holidays do children celebrate? And how do they celebrate them?

• Which medications are over-the-counter and which will you need to obtain from a medical professional?

• Will your child be able to get medical care the day you arrive? What about dental care? Eye-care and glasses?

Pets

• Can you transfer pets to this country? If you get a pet in your new country, and want to move it to another country later, what would you need to do?

• Is the country/city pet-friendly? Will it make renting a home or apartment more difficult?

• Is there an option to board pets when you want to travel?

• Does the country quarantine - how long is mandatory and how expensive is it?

Community

• How easy is it for you to travel home from there?

• Is there an expat community present?

• Are there organizations to get involved with for volunteer opportunities?

• Is this a country where you can meet and interact with locals, or will you mostly need to rely on other expats?

• Are there lots of other expats in the area, and is there an active network?

• Are special programs available to foreigners to learn the language?

• What are different areas known for and what areas are most desirable to live in?

• What is the crime rate and some of the local laws?

• Are there local customs that you should be aware of, including holidays?

Moving & Accommodations

• Can you bring your things? How much would this cost? Are there customs restrictions? How long would it take (approximately) for your things to arrive at your new house?

• What type of living arrangements will you have access to?

• Can you choose your own accomodation, or does the company choose for you?

• What can you expect to spend on accommodation?

• Is it safer to live in an expat neighborhood/compound?

• Can you buy, or do you need to rent?

• Can temporary residents get a mortgage?

• If you own a home what will you do with it?

Finances, Taxes, and Banking

• What will you be expected to pay in terms of taxes? Will you receive any government benefits?

• Are you paying for things you won't have access to, or can you get a rebate?

• Are there any partner banks that offer benefits in the new country?

• How often will you be paid and in which currency?

• What about retirement savings? If you can/must put money into company/government pension schemes, can you take that money with you if you leave the country?

• Will you be eligible to get the country's social security?

• Will you have to pay taxes in your home land even while you are abroad?

• Will you/can you transfer money to your "home" bank if necessary?

Useful sites:
Expatistan - cost comparison between cities
If it were my Home - very interesting country by country comparisons
Expat blog - a directory of various locations from an ex-pat perspective
Internations - a community of expats with local chapters around the world
Spotted by Locals - tips from locals around European cities

If I forgot anything please leave a comment and I will add it to the list!

Lufthansa Biergarten

I keep reading about the new biergarten at the Munich airport. It's partnered up with Franziskaner to offer beer and pretzel pre-flight for those traveling business class.

I'll stop by next week and let you know what it's like, because we're going to Paris.

Our home airport was recently even voted the best in Europe and the 4th best world wide. We're very lucky to have it, even if there isn't an express train into the city. I'm glad we live so close to the subway.

Oslo

Here's a bit about Oslo before I get back to India and our around the world adventure.

Once again, we were blessed to know people that live or have lived in the city, so they could offer us some local tips, which we took to heart. I will include those at the bottom, because they were awesome.

Random observations:
- Surprisingly Oslo isn't that big - just under 600,000 people live there.
- For being so small it's really diverse.
- Yes, it's truly crazy expensive. We read that even workers with seemingly basic jobs receive something like 15€ / hour. A great way to save money is to go on Easter weekend when all of the Norwegians are in the mountains skiing and many of the stores are closed!
- You probably have never seen so many blondes in your life.
- The trend appears to be wearing skinny pants with skimmer shoes and tucking your pants into your socks. I kid you not. I won't be taking part in this even if it trickles down my way.
- With a knowledge of English and German it was, at times, easy to decipher written words - not so much when they were spoken.
- I forgot how much I love Scandinavian TV... they put under titles on and don't dub out the people. It's pretty exciting to have TV from home - all the time.
- For being such a peace driven city it seems so contradictory that they are harboring a known terrorist, because they don't deport those that could face the death penalty.

We spent our days enjoying the blue skies, brisk breeze, and having the city virtually to ourselves, except of course for the sea gulls.

Transportation:
-The city is easy to wander around and has a great network of public transportation ranging from a subway, tram, bus, and boat.
- Buy a "flexi-kort" at any Seven 11 or Narvesan or Deli Delucca...they are 190 kr (24€), and give you 8 rides. Its crazy expensive if you buy a one way trip on the bus...and they don't sell the flexikorts on the bus so you have to buy ahead of time at one of the convience store shops.

Sights:
- Aker Brygge - While being a bit touristy I actually really like seeing what they are doing with the harbor area. There are plenty of restaurants and interesting architecture in this area.

- Vigeland Parken - The Sculpture Park - the world's largest sculpture park made by one artist. The figures have every emotion you can think of and are often intertwined in every possible way. Angry boy is one of the most beloved here.

- Nobel Peace Center - a great place to read about the Laureates and the book shop is really interesting... it has everything about war, peace, movements, and migrations.

- Munch Museum - This is one of Norway's most famed Artists and a collection of his emotion driven symbolist paintings, drawings, and prints.

- Opera House - This is very beautiful and interactive. I appreciated all of the angles and how it appears as if it's coming out of the harbor.

Bygdøy
- Viking Ships at Bygdøy - unfortunately this was closed for our visit, so we went to Hemma Hos instead.
- Walk around Bygdøy towards Paradiso or Huk (both beachy areas)
- Folkemusuem - outdoor museum with Norwegian architecture and traditional dress.

Food:
- United Bakeries - a good place for traditional bøller (roll with chocolate or raisins)
- Gødt Brød - sandwiches
- BIT - sandwiches
- Åpent Bakeri - salads, sandwiches, etc.
- Pascal - chocolates + other confections. This is also where Bill Clinton ordered a decaf cappuccino. Unfortunately it was closed during our visit.
- Bolivar Cafe - a favorite place for lunch.
- Frognerseteren - a traditional restaurant in the mountains.

- Delicatessen - Tapas in Grunerløkka. They don't take reservations, so go early and put your name on the list.

- Cafe Hemma Hos in Bygdøy - a cosy cafe with great food.
- Olivia - Italian with nice outdoor seating.
- Hell's Kitchen - beer + pizza in Youngstorget.

Shopping:
- Bogstaveien - street with lots of Scandi brands. Check out the The Shoe Lounge.

And just to give you an idea of how expensive things are, here is what 40€ will get you at the grocery. We stayed in an apartment, so we had means of cooking, although we didn't cook much... if you call heating up tomato soup cooking.

I wish that Wasa would have the same rosemary salt flat bread available here in Germany. They had German on the package, so hopefully I'll find them at a grocery closer to home!

A 30€ day in Munich + a giveaway!

The easiest way to save money in Munich is obviously by having a friend or family member living there... Yes, I'm talking to you friends and family who have yet to visit!

For the rest of you I composed a guide to a day in Munich on a budget of 30€.

As a special bonus to readers in Germany, the wonderful folks from gutschein-codes.de are sponsoring a 50€ Amazon.com gift card giveaway.

You can use their site for instant savings on travel or photo prints from your latest trip, as well as everyday shopping.

The contest is open to those with a German mailing address and limited to one entry per person. All you have to do is leave a comment about your favorite money saving travel tip or favorite place to visit in Munich between now and 7 March 2010 at 23:59 (CET). The winner will be chosen using Random.org.

Please make sure I am able to contact you if you win!

Viel Glück!

Below are some of my favorite places in and around the city center to enjoy on a budget. Munich is truly more of a village, so traversing on foot is relatively easy, although we do have a stellar subway system.

Simply click the image to enlarge it or print it out and take it along. There is also a map with the designated places marked below, so you can easily find your way.

Don't forget to leave a comment to enter the contest!

Here are a few of my tips:
- stay above ground so you can see more and make up for all of the walking with delicious foods
- stop by an apple store to check your emails for free
- many restaurants have lunch specials - eat a large lunch so you have energy to burn and because it's much less expensive.
- if you want to make your own 'bierprobe' purchase beer at the grocery where bottles are very inexpensive
- find groceries in the basements of many department stores and purchase drinks there


View 30€ day in Munich in a larger map

Other free activities to consider:
Gärtnerplatz - beautiful flowers and a great place to people watch
Olympic Park - this was the stage of the 1972 olympics, and if Munich has it's way, in 2018 it will be the first city to host both the summer and winter Olympics.
BMW Museum - the tours are not free, however going inside the museum and looking around is.
'Free City Tour' - guides work off of tips

Check back March 8th to see who won, and if you're in Germany visit gutschein-codes.de for more money saving opportunities!

The giveaway is over - congratulations to the winner: Andi!

Less than a week!

We went around town today collecting our last minute things. Here are a few of my observations:

I love MUJI (inside Fünf Höfe). It's a Japanese shop that prides itself on being no brand. All of the merchandise is simple and they have a wonderful array of everything you never realized you needed to stay organized. Their travel sized products and stationery items are among my favorites. They make packing so simple with their empty TSA sized 100mL bottles.

Everyone and everything is gearing up for Oktoberfest. I love seeing products suddenly having Bavarian spirit and lederhosen all over them. Even the Pixar movie 'Oben! (Up!)' is in on the fun with their ad featuring the herzen, roller coaster, and the sky swing. (It says: 'With so much fun you'll lift off') We're slightly behind on the times here - it opens tomorrow.

I noticed Ihr Platz located inside the Ostbahnhof (near the U5 Orleanplatz entrance). Under normal circumstances I really wouldn't write about a drug store, and I realize this sounds ridiculous, but it is open until 10PM - even on Sundays. Talk about revolutionizing shopping in Munich! Really, it's the little things here.

They even have a small grocery section where you can get milk and simple things past 8PM! I'm thrilled - even though I'll only be here for one more weekend this year.

Long Term / Extended Travel Packing

Some of this list is slightly laughable for going lightweight, but to each their own.

I included anything that people would potentially want to bring, so you can always cross things off your own list as you see fit. Thanks also to my friend Cait, who is also planning a trip. It's been so nice to compare lists and have someone to double check with.

Don't forget the added bonus of packing light is having plenty of space for the treasures you find along the way!

(click the image to see it larger)

Long Term / Extended Travel Checklist

I'm not sure if anyone else that reads this will be planning a long term trip, but I figured I could at least share the information that I've gathered along the way so it's not as daunting.

Feel free to add anything I may have forgotten!

(click the image to see it larger)

Around the World Travel

There are plenty of resources online regarding long term travel. Here are some that I returned to again and again, as well as a few tips of my own.

If you are planning a trip around the world or for an extended amount of time it's difficult to know where to begin.

This is where we started. These were our our first considerations, and this is a bit of information about our stops along the way (this is still being updated).

You can also pick country or city specific posts by scrolling down on the right.

These are the places we have visited so far:

Here are a plethora of helpful planning links that I frequently use -

Plane
Star Alliance Around the World planner - We chose Star Alliance because of Stefan's Senator Status and also because they fly to the destinations we wanted to visit and they also give us flexibility (we can change dates without paying a fee).

kayak - we frequently use the multi-city tool and I love that it stores my past searches for future visits.

skyscanner - this also scans budget airlines, which can be very helpful in Europe. I also love that you can search by price if you don't care where you go, but don't have tons of money to spend.

Flight Stats - delays and other important information
Flight View - track loved ones as they travel
Flight Memory - keep track of your own flights and stats on airtime
Seat Guru - find the best seat so you have some extra leg room
Startrax - safety ratings for airlines if you need a side flight

Train
Seat 61 - Very concise and well put together information regarding trains around the world.

Make sure you purchase country passes before you get to the country. Often times they are not available once you've arrived.

Bus
Busabout - I've never taken one of these tours, which seem geared towards a college crowd, but I like the idea of traveling above land and stopping in various cities.

Automobile
How far is it? - calculate distances between cities
Google maps - maps and step-by-step directions between multiple locations.
Meet Ways - find a meeting point in the middle

Everything
Travel Independent - this is an incredible resource that is a one stop place to find useful information regarding any and all aspects of being gone for a long time.

Health + Safety
Centers for Disease Control
Fit for Travel
Travel Cautions + Warnings
Travel Registration (for US citizens)
Medgle- search your symptoms
What bit you - images of bugs and their bites

Research
Project Visa - Which countries will you need a visa for and embassy information
Country Specific Information
Travel + Leisure
Time Magazine city guides
Budget Travel
NY Times Travel
Condé Nast Travel
Concierge
World Travel Guide
Famous Wonders of the World
43 places
lonely planet

Packing
What to Pack - while it seems straight forward there are a lot of things that are completely not necessary and can be purchased along the way.

There are plenty of stores online to help make getting supplies easier. I also suggest heading to your nearest outdoor sports shop and a home goods store. We found many practical things that were added to the 'What to Pack' list.

Here are a few of my favorite Travel brands:
ExOfficio - wicking and quick drying undergarments
The North Face - high quality and very durable
Columbia - feminine and simple outdoor wear
I know every country has their own take on these. If you have time in advance to ship things I also suggest checking out Campmor and Backcountry, for discounted apparel.

Hotels
Trip Advisor - see actual candid photos and ratings of hotels and the reasons people like them or don't. There are some major gems if you just look.

airbnb - vacation rentals, private room, and sublets. It always is nice to walk onto the city streets from a neighborhood or unique location rather than a massive hotel. It's a quick way to feel like a local and stay like one, too.

hotels.com - for every 10 nights you stay you get a free room. If you frequently travel this is a really great deal. I also like that it doesn't tie you to one chain.

hostelworld or hostelbookers - I'm not opposed to staying in a hostel, provided I have a private room / bathroom and it is highly rated. Just check out the best boutique hostels and you'll quickly see it's easy to save money and sleep in style.

hotwire - this unfortuantely only works in the US, but you can get a real steal if you simply need a place to stay last minute.

unusual hotels of the world - if you're looking for offbeat this is a great place to start. Some of these are seriously out there. We've stayed in a hospital and I have to say it was lovely.

Design hotels
Splendia
Desighhotels
Epoque
Small Luxury hotels

Restaurants
Food and Wine
Zagat
Chowhound
San Pelligrino 50 best
Unusual Restaurants of the World

Interesting and random travel links

Spots with Free Wifi

Travel Math - a calculator that helps with distance, time, and budgeting
Walki - Talki - audio walking tours for your MP3
single serving - free pocket sized travel phrases in a large number of languages
Trip It - organize your travel plans
Smug Mug - upload your photos to share and download them in full size once you get back.
gadling - travel related news, gadgets, and photos
XE - money conversion
Panoramio- explore the world through other people's photos
locr - locate your photos / geotag through various methods

Hopefully there was something here that will be helpful and useful for you in the future. I'll add more links over time.

Safe and Happy Travels!

Oktoberfest Tips

Since I live in Munich, Oktoberfest is a common topic and a large reason people visit. Suddenly our delightful and efficient subway system swells to maximum capacity and renders anything in the vicinity of Theresenwiese useless for the few weeks that Oktoberfest lasts.

When + Why? 
First things first - Oktoberfest begins in September.
2010: September 18 - October 4 (this is the 200th anniversary!)
2011: September 17 - October 3
2012: September 22 - October 7

It's the celebration of what must have been an elaborate wedding reception that was so amazing it continues on today. People here often refer to it as 'Wies'n'. It's sensory overload and what many Americans would consider a glorified fair.

Go super early if you want a chance at getting a table. Even then many are reserved, so you will have to squeeze in or find one that's open. You have to be seated at a table to be served, so that can also be an issue.

From what I understand the best time to get a table is on Monday after the first weekend, when everyone is partied out. This is according to the cab drivers, who I assume have a slump on the first Monday. Even though many tables are reserved they are open through the early part of the day and free for the taking, so go early!

Cost

Oktoberfest is free to roam through, however beer prices climb each year...

Here are the prices from the past couple years:
2009 = 8.10-8.60€ / liter
2010 = 8.40-8.90€ / liter.

It's easy to drop a lot of cash, although it tends to be a wonderful time. 

As a side note, many of the biergartens offer their special Oktoberfest brews for a bit less. Yes, you'll miss out on some of the camaraderie, but I doubt you'll want to spend a week straight guzzling beers - especially at such steep prices and the biergartens are something not to be missed. 

How can you reserve a table?
Well you're going to need a lot of friends and a fair amount of money. Reservations are done many months in advance towards the beginning of the year and it certainly helps to know people. If you're a tourist you can pretty much bank on not getting a reservation, but it doesn't mean you're out on the fun.

The reason it's a fair amount of money is because you receive vouchers towards food and drink purchases, so you're essentially paying for things up front so the tent owners get their money. 

You can read more information on the Official Oktoberfest site. 

Tents
The tents are all very different (here are photos of the interiors + exteriors). It's worth trying to walk around and walk in, even if there are no seats in the place. If there are seats you will probably want to grab them while you can. When choosing tents it's best to pick by the beer selection... avoid drinking logos with animals or tools.

You're in luck if you're a group of ladies, however you might get harassed a bit. Last year we had offers for golf lessons, free tickets to a Beatles Experience show, and my friend even had a marriage proposal from a Norweigen guy. 1. Hippodrom - smallest of the tents and a bit of 'see and be seen' atmosphere. It seems the TV stations are always there... as are those who want to mingle 

2. Armbrustschützen-Festhalle - 'crossbow shooting tent' - this is ultra traditional with the oompah music and all.

3. Hofbräu-Festzelt - The place to go if you want to hang out with Americans or Australians. It's a frat party atmosphere. This tent was also clearly the smelliest after the smoking ban.

4. Hacker-Festzelt - This tent is very beautiful and it appears as though you're sitting under the sky.

5. Schottenhamel - This is the tent that starts it all at noon on the first day. The Mayor taps the kegs here before the others can begin. It tends to be very traditional and cosy since they have unique square tables and a favorite among all.

6. Winzerer Fähndl - Cosy Paulaner tent with the enormous beer on top.

7. Schützen-Festzelt - Löwenbräu tent right under the Lady Bavaria statue.

8. Käfer's Wies'n-Schänke - A posh tent with higher end food, due to being owned by one of the gourmet groceries in town.

9. Weinzelt - wine tent with an older clientele and late hours.

10. Löwenbräu-Festhalle - least popular among locals (or maybe that's just my opinion). You're probably going to regret sitting outside and hearing the Lion rawr 'Löwenbräu' every few minutes.

11. Bräurosl -  traditional and untraditional Hacker Pschorr tent. This tent is popular for gay men, especially on the first Sunday of the fest.

12. Augustiner-Festhalle - very popular with the locals. This is Munich's beer - yes, they all technically are, but this is a favorite.  
13. Spatenbräu-Festhalle (Ochsenbraterei) - Ox specialities. Each ox has a name and you can read who is being served up daily, when it was born, and how much it weighed.

14. Fischer-Vroni - catering to fish specialities and even sushi. 

More information on the tents and Oktoberfest can be found here.

Food

As with all of the food here - it is very meat heavy. If you are a meat eater or lover, you will probably find things you'd enjoy. 

As a vegetarian you can enjoy pretzels, obatzda (a delicacy that is a mixture of cheeses, (primarily camembert), onions, spices, and butter), or spätzle. 

There are also plenty of places to buy spiced nuts and those gingerbread hearts you will see everywhere, although I'm told while the gingerbread is completely edible you're not supposed to eat it (probably because it doesn't taste that great). 

If you get tired of Bavarian food or want to eat where locals eat look at the Munich Visitor's Guide.

Clothing

Tracht (lederhosen + dirndl) is the traditional attire for the Oktoberfest. It's fun to dress like the locals and there are a variety of places to purchase inexpensive tracht (especially along 'Tal' between Marienplatz and Isartor), however there are quite a few rules to making it work and not looking like you're in a Halloween costume. Funky tights and shoes being one of the worst fashion faux pas. 

Tracht can be seen as Bavarian formal wear - remember this is for Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen's ongoing wedding reception. Some ultra traditional wedding parties still wear this when they are getting married, so gym shoes etc. look really ridiculous. 

There's even a particular way to tie your apron ladies, to denote if you are a virgin (middle), single (left), married / taken (right), or widow / waitress (back). I don't know who wants to advertise being a virgin at the Oktoberfest, but that's local lore and I've never seen it - you can take that for what it's worth. 

Hotels
For a hotel I would get something close to one of the S-bahn lines or near the U4/ U5 if possible. Also close by is the U3 /U6. 

 Those are the lines to get to the Oktoberfest, although there are plenty of others with the tram as well. You're probably going to need to get on that pronto, because hotels get super expensive and book out very fast.

Even better is figuring out the walking route from your hotel to the Wies'n. 

If you have a super tight budget you can try to book online with Wombats once they open their online reservations June 1 at Noon (Central European Time). 

They do have several double rooms if you're not wanting to sleep in a room with drunken strangers, but you really have to be quick. I'm also not certain what the alternative is, because not having a hotel or place to stay in June leaves slim pickings. 

Cheap Date

Munich has a distinct little area of town called Kunstpark / Kultfabrik, which is right behind the Ostbahnhof. It's said to be the largest club complex in Europe. We frequent the area simply to go to Mitte Meer and while we were there we noticed a billboard for Kantine.

With the power of advertising in full effect, not only did we see they have wood fired pizza, but they offer most of the pizzas on the menu for just 3.30€ on Tuesdays after 6PM. I'll admit it's not the best pizza I've ever had, but it's decent - especially for the same price as a frozen pizza. On other nights of the week they have other specials, however we haven't tried them.

As for the area, it's is sort of strange. It reminds me of Daytona, Florida, without it's somewhat redeeming quality - the beach. There are loads of night clubs and seedy signage, but once you get past that you'll find Kantine in the middle. The restaurant itself made us feel like we stepped back into America, because of the sheer size.

The area is very ramshackle looking, because most these clubs and bars are housed in what used to be factories. At night it's cleverly disguised with bright lights, a multitude of different types of music, and cheap drinks to draw people in. Between Kultfabrik and Optimalwerk (located down the street / through the parking lot) there are well over 40 different venues to drink your life away and mingle with other party people.

Since Stefan and I are content being old and boring we simply go for the pizza and are home before the party crowd arrives.

Borough Market

Several friends suggested we visit the Borough Market, which is only open several days a week. The website gave me an idea of what to expect, however I was definitely not prepared for endless amounts and types of foods. It was really wonderful.

The colors and textures are so visually stunning - not to mention the options are slightly overwhelming. The typical produce is available as are many other more obscure options. There are both fresh ingredients and prepared food, so there really is something for everyone from many corners of the world.

The crowds can be slightly discouraging and sometimes I got frustrated feeling as though I was being herded around, but it's still worth the trip. It was interesting to see which vendors had the longest lines.

The fish mongers looked like they were very busy. I was impressed with the selection, but I'm certain it doesn't hurt to be on an island. I can see why the market would be buzzing right before the weekend. We have the Viktualienmarket here in Munich, although it doesn't have as open of a market feeling with street vendors.

After walking through the market and taking photos of the beautifully presented foods we tried to pair things down and figure out what we wanted to eat.

I was even surprised to see a German booth as well as a booth serving traditional Swiss raclette. Definitely go early and with an empty stomach because there is a constant crowd and always something else that looks delectable. As we were look around Stefan asked if it was open the next day, because he was enjoying himself so much.

In attempt to be healthy we started with a fresh smoothie and a shot of wheatgrass, which they said was equal to three days worth of green vegetables.

For lunch, I chose a veggie burger, which was very filling and Stefan opted for a venison burger, although they had other unique meats like ostrich as well.

Unfortunately I couldn't eat any of the pastries or buy any of the fresh ingredients to cook with. Next time I know to get a pastry first, so I won't be stuffed to the gills. I took a picture of the baklava that looked very similar to the ones we sampled in Cairo. It was labeled, so I'm hoping to find a few of the recipes and try my hand at that.

In addition to the various foods there were also plenty of beautiful flowers. It's such a colorful and visually appealing market and definitely worth the trip if you happen to be in the area Thursday - Saturday.