oh oktoberfest. what an event. it was like the best mix of state fair and beer fest and lawn party and costume ball and and and….we took the dog and even she had a good time! well, once she realized we were not leaving her for good in the hotel room and that we were coming back… and that she could watch the world go by, vigilante style, through the window while waiting for us!
it is true what they say- nearly everyone dresses up. we were not the first day but we got into it a little on the second. no lederhosen or dirndls for us but we got festive. The beer ‘tents’ are not what one would think of as beer tents. in the states beer tents are pop-up tents like one would have for tailgates- and small ones at that. for oktoberfest the beer tents were the size of football fields. And there were multiple tents, about 10 actually. the lines to get in were ridiculous the later in the day and we learned that for some extra euro you can make reservations for a table for the evenings. there were nonstop bands, activities, dancing, and songs. people ready to dance on the tables while belting out some tune. the food was amazing. whole pigs roasting over fire, rows and rows of chickens dressed and slowly cooking in the rotisserie, sausages and ham hocks….yum! It is not just general fair food. hardly anything fried (save the pomme frittes). food is very well done at the celebration. then again, the better the food is, the more inclined you are to eat, the more you eat, the more you can drink so obviously the germans have flawless logic! and that is just inside the beer tents.
outside you find ferris wheels (yes, plural) and merry-go-rounds and arcade games of every imaginable type. j not only drove a bumper car solo but he also went on his very first roller coaster ride and his very first water roller coaster (marv and I accompanied him for the roller coasters). and i am pleased to report that j did not like them…..he LOVED them! definitely my kid! we did some shopping (for our ‘costumes on day 2) and played a ton of games. it was an unfiltered event for us all. the first night we stayed until about 9, walked a block back to our hotel, grabbed the dog and took her to a restaurant outside our hotel to enjoy a final drink for the evening. I love, love, love having bareak in restaurants. and of course she is so good and happy just to settle between marv and i. such a great thing about europe/germany. our pup can go everywhere with us. and for those of us who adore our 4-legged kids (nearly as much as our 2) it makes things a little more complete. bareak is definitely a member of our family so it is nice to include the pretty puppy!
day 2 we did all the things j had loved on day 1 and the ones we had missed. had more roasted meat (lol) and chocolate covered strawberries….which by the way- seeing as how they have chocolate down to the most precise and yummy science was amazing! it was definitely a great note to leave germany on as now I am writing this and trying to catch up from stateside, new hampshire actually. i miss my husband and can’t wait to get back to continue to explore germany and the rest of europe.
below are some pictures of the tents, the enormous beer mugs and other random images (again hover mouse over picture for descriptions)!
burrbaby 