Last weekend I went to Oktoberfest…
I have bee looking forward to going to Germany since I was a young girl because I am very German. I have heard a lot about Oktoberfest so I was very excited to experience a real German beer festival. This trip exceeded my expectations!
I went with a student travel company, Euroadventures. We left Rome at 7:00 and took a fast train to Florence to pick up students there and start the 9-hour bus ride to Munich, Germany. The bus rides are long to these places that I am visiting, but it is well worth it. I usually just try to sleep and when I wake up we are there!
When we arrived there it was about 5am. We had just enough time to change our clothes, grab a quick breakfast and then we headed off to stand in line at Oktoberfest. You have to get there early so you are one of the first people allowed in the tents so you can get a table. Over 6 million people go to Oktoberfest and hundreds of thousands of people are in a tent at one time. It is absolutely insane!
We decided to go into the Hofbrau tent on Friday morning. That is the tent where most international people go. We got in at 10 and found a table with standing room. We stayed there for a few hours and tasted the most delicious beer I have ever tasted and ate giant delicious pretzels and donuts. These were the best pretzels and donuts I have ever had in my life. Inside the tent was absolutely crazy! The beer maidens were carrying 11 steins at a time filled with beer. One stein holds about 2.9 beers! Everyone was singing and dancing to the music, standing on tables, chanting, and singing drinking songs. It was insane.
When we left the tent we went to another place where we could sit outside for a bit. We only stayed there for a little while and then decided to walk around the carnival. I went on two rides, the swings and a ride that takes you to the top and drops you. The rides were expensive but so fun! After I got a 1/2meter bratwurst sandwich and it was the best bratwurst I have ever had. It would remind you of an amped up hotdog. It was amazing!!
We left Oktoberfest after this to go back to the hostel and take a nap before we went out again at nighttime. Once we all woke up again we walked around Oktoberfest to find a tent to get back into. Unfortunately, we did not know that it is very difficult to get back into tents later at night. Thankfully we were able to get into an area outside a tent called Hacker. That was just as fun as being in a tent. I was with Molly, Maria, Meaghan, Jen, Mark, Steve, and Joe at this point. We met some very fun people to talk to from Germany and from Ireland. It is fun meeting people from other countries and learning about them and their culture. This was one of my most fun nights.
Then next morning we woke up very early, grabbed breakfast, and stood in line for another tent. This was a very German tent. When we got in there we were too late to get our own table. Instead we found a table of 16-year-old German boys who were willing to let me, Jen, Meaghan, Maria, Joe, and Steve join them. They were young, but very mature for their ages. They told us a lot about German culture and we asked them tons of questions. They were fun to hang out with, very lively and spirited. It became very packed as the day went on and the band was playing so many good songs. Because this was a German tent they played SOOO many German songs and drinking songs. I was able to learn how to sing German drinking songs and the word for cheers “Prost!” Everyone was standing on the tables and dancing the entire time. It was one of the most exciting experiences I have had so far!
After the tent we decided to go home and take a rest before the nighttime! When we came back to the tents we went to the same place as the night before, Hacker. We sat outside again. I got schnitzel for dinner and it was so delicious. I loved every single bite. We stayed there for a while and danced a bit outside! This was more of a relaxing night. Later on Andrew I lost everyone so we decided to find a new tent to go into at the last minute. We walked up to the most popular tent that was not letting anyone in all weekend, it was pretty exclusive. We stood in line and they denied us. Then a random drunk man looked at us and said, “Are you two lovers from New York City?” We obviously weren’t at all but we just said yes. He then handed us two wristbands and sent us right in side. It was weird but awesome!! We went inside and were able to catch a few songs before it closed!
When we got back to our hostel we met a room full of men from Denmark who were staying in the room next door. We hung out with two of them who happened to be in the Navy in Denmark. They were fun to hang out with for a few hours in the hostel.
The next morning we woke up at a decent time and decided to go to see a concentration camp. We saw Dachau Concentration camp. We spent about 2 hours there and it was a very eye opening experience to see. You cannot even explain the feeling you get at being in a concentration camp to someone unless they have been there. Standing in the prison rooms, the dorms, and the crematorium are beyond anything that words can explain.
After Dachau we boarded onto the bus for our 12-hour bus ride back to Rome. We got home at 4am in the morning and we were exhausted from the weekend. I had lost my voice on Friday afternoon and did not get it back until Tuesday morning. It was a great time and I hope one day I can go back.
Now today I am off to the South of France to the French Riveria!
(If you are wondering about school, school is going fine. My classes are good, it is right around Mid-terms which is a bit stressful, especially when all you can think about is traveling, but I am pushing through. I like most of my classes and teachers. I also am learning a bit more Italian which is exciting because I can begin to understand people more! I also have a lot to worry about when it comes to classes next semester and finding a job. Being a senior abroad is a bit more tricky.)
My Travels Abroad 