Andrew and Roz invited us to come celebrate Andrew's 30th birthday with them in Munich during Oktoberfest. They had a bunch of friends flying in from Boston as well. I would be six months pregnant but we couldn't pass up a trip to party with the Panek's and I figured, just like Sardinia, I would get to spend the time hangover free and remember it.
Hosts with the mosts welcomed the large group of us to their home in the village of Otterburg the day prior to training to Munich. We walked down to the village biergarten, Otterberger Hof, for a schnitzel dinner and German brews before calling it a night.
It was an early start the next morning - rushing around getting packed up, boys getting lederhosen on, and questioning Roz's skillz to crank out to-go breakfast burritos for 6. Don't doubt that Roz - top notch Air Force flight crew trainer catering to the bigwigs in the sky! She had egg / roasted pepper / onion burritos wrapped up for all as we headed out the door down to the village bus stop.
I've said before, my favorite mode of transportation is to train it! No baggage/liquid limitations or airport hassle.
We posted up in the meal car and started ordering rounds. (And lucky for me, not terrible non-alcoholic beer was available most places.) Our group quickly made friends (and enemies?) in the close quarters train car.
So much of Europe descends upon Munich during the month of Oktoberfest. Andrew and Rosalin had gone the year prior and stayed at a campsite. We decided it was a fun and affordable way to go with our large group. We opted for the pods with bunk beds and electricity (and heat) as opposed to tents.
We arrived to the campsite, got dirndled up and headed to the mess hall type lodge for a beer and some games before heading to the famous Hofbräuhaus in downtown Munich for dinner. A massive hall with long tables, ornate ceiling paintings and archways separating room after room. The Oompah band music blared as we found a table. Our group, drinking since the train journey that morning was already in prime form.
Only a handful of people in our group remembered the taxi ride back to the campsite that night. There might or might not have been a husband who could not for the life of him get up onto his top bunk and that I later found wondering around the camp grounds in his underwear. I went to bed as the rest of the group rallied a little longer.
Next morning, we were up early to head to the Oktoberfest fairgrounds to snag a table in one of the tents. While the group started on their mosses (steins), I headed outside to the grounds to get a latte, sugared doughnuts, and explore a bit. It was going to be an entertaining day for me despite the sober state, puh-rime people watching. The traditional wears!
It was such a thrill to witness more than 6 million people coming from all over the globe converge in one city to cram into massive tents, stand on wooden picnic tables, sling beer steins, drape arms around strangers, and sing German songs at the top of their lungs with their new BFFs.
As I look back at photos from this trip, I realize that I didn't capture the craziness that started to build around 4:00 pm (we arrived at 10:00 am). As people started holding their steins high in the air, dancing down the aisles, and piling on picnic tables I put away the camera and took in the atmosphere around me ... totally sober. Photos from the day at the fairgrounds below.
Thank you for hosting us Paneks!
