Oktoberfest

A three day weekend (Monday was St. Wenceslas Day in the Czech Republic) gave us the opportunity to take our first overnight trip. So on Saturday we traveled from Prague to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest. The trip took several train changes and most of the day, but the weather was beautiful and the countryside picture perfect. The trip took us through the border town of Zelezna Ruda in the Sumava mountains. The train station is unique because it straddles both sides of the Czech and German borders. We have to reflect on the dramatic changes that have occurred here in just the past twenty years. Twenty years ago this was a heavily guarded border between the West and the Soviet Union. There was a buffer zone or no man's land of several miles on the Czech side which no one except soldiers could enter. Even five years ago, we would have had to show our passports and go through immigration to enter Germany. Today the Czech Republic is part of the European Union and all that is left of this border is a white line on the platform that we stepped across to board the next train. The no man's land is now a national park on both sides of the border and we saw lots of backpackers and mountain bikers on the train.

We arrived in the central Munich train station on Saturday afternoon and immediately noticed a lot of men wearing lederhosen and women in folkloric peasant dresses. We thought they must be from the tourism bureau or part of a folk dance group. What quickly became apparent was that they were just local people dressing up for Octoberfest. It's really true - people of all ages from little toddlers to senior citizens dress up for these two weeks. Locals told us it is even acceptable to wear them to work if they want.

We spent the day Sunday at the fairgrounds. For those who have been to the Minnesota State Fair, it's kind of like that. We would say that those in leiderhosen and folk dresses outnumbered those of us in jeans. We started the day with the concert of the Bavarian bands complete with Alpine horns. Then it was on to a lunch of sausage, saurkraut, and roasted chicken in the Paulner biergarten. It was a gorgeous day and we had a nice chat with a family from Munich who we shared the table with. They spoke English well and told us that it is a tradition for them to come at least once each year. They complained that it is getting too big and too commercial, but they still like to come. Unlike the Minnesota State Fair, there isn't any food on a stick. What they do have are lots of roasted nuts, candied fruits, and huge pretzels!


The midway rides did not disappoint either. The kids had fun. The highlight was the tall ferris wheel which really gave us a full view of the grounds. A real organ grinder was another thing we had never seen before.

The beer tents were also something to experience. They are not exactly tents but huge buildings, fourteen in all, which are rebuilt each year. They are beautifully decorated inside and can hold up to several thousand people each. In the middle is a large platform with live music from big brass bands. Even in the middle of the day, it was hard to find a seat. There must have been several thousand people eating, drinking, linking arms and singing along with the oompah band. A surreal moment for us was hearing John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads" played by a brass band and sung in English by thousands of German fair goers. This happened not once, but twice. Apparently, it's a popular song at Octoberfest. With the beautiful weather and festive atmosphere Oktoberfest will certainly be a special memory for us.








Here's a final picture of Rod getting in touch with his Milbrandt ancestors in the Pschorr beer tent.