Oktoberfest & Weiden in der Oberpfalz

I, like many hope-filled youths, once constructed a bucket-list. Most of the objects on said-list are still there today. However, I finally got to cross #7 off: attend Oktoberfest. Sure...Cincinnati, Ohio (a mere 3 hour drive from Mansfield) is home to one of the largest Oktoberfest celebrations in the world, but it's not the same. No recreation of Oktoberfest will ever compare to experiencing it in Munich. For all of you fellow bucket-listers, I would 10/10 recommend booking a flight, buying a dirndl, and experiencing this holiday in the heart of Germany. My advice: do it while you're young and single, because it's one hell of a time.

Let's begin, shall we? The night before the festival, Nickie (my sister) and Mark (her boyfriend) had a work function so they dropped me off near the walking district of Weiden in der Oberpfalz where I wondered aimlessly for 20 minutes before finding the cutest little square. I looked through the little shops, fully aware that I was too poor to purchase anything. Then, I pulled out my camera and started taking some photos of the surrounding buildings. There was something about the architecture here--the lively colors of the buildings--that made me fall in love with the town immediately. Eventually I grew hungry. After striking out on finding a pub (so I could indulge on schnitzel and all other german foods), I decided to remain in the gorgeous square and eat Italian.

For those of you familiar with the show "Friends", I felt like Rachel did when she had to eat alone. I'd never eaten out by myself before, but it felt really awkward and I didn't know what to do. My phone was near the point of dying and the waiter took the menu after I ordered, so I couldn't even pretend to be reading it! What happened next provided me with proof that human beings are still decent creatures; the couple next to me must have sensed my uncomfortableness and invited me to eat dinner with them. The two were an American couple...early 30's...stationed in the town over with the Army. I spoke with them through our appetizer, main course, two desserts, a beer and a glass of wine. When it came time to pay, they refused to let me pick up my portion of the bill. I thanked them and wished them goodnight before meeting back up with Nickie and Mark and heading to bed.

The next morning, I drove down to Munich with Nickie, Mark, and two of Mark's friends (Lucas and John). For some absurd reason, the boys and I thought it would be a good idea to pregame the festival. We took a shot, drank a 20 ounce lager, and approached the festival. One we arrived, we went to meet up with the 5 other members of our group and went to our tent, called "Schottenhamel Festhalle." We received our first round of Maßs (1 liter glass of beer) and just laughed, talked, and sang along to the music that was playing for two hours. While I expected a more folkish style of music, I was pleasantly surprised to hear John Denver's "Country Roads, Take Me Home". It seemed it was our duty as Americans to stand up on our chairs and sing aloud, so we did exactly that with our arms around each other and our Maß's clanging together.

It is essential to know the lyrics to the song "Ein Prosit" if attending Oktoberfest. It's a traditional German drinking song that played probably every 15 minutes while we were in our tent. Luckily, it's pretty easy to learn!

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit

Der Gemütlichkeit

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit

Der Gemütlichkeit

OANS! ZWOA! DRE! G'SUFFA!

Which can be translated to:

A toast, a toast

To cheer and good time

A toast, a toast

To cheer and good time

One! Two! Three! Drink up!

When it plays, you're obligated to stand up with your beer mug, sway/sing along to the music, toast with everyone at your table and chug. It's all fun and games until you find yourself past the point of tipsy at 6pm. A major key to success: eating half a chicken and a very large pretzel between liters.

After our table reservation expired, we walked over to another tent and I was able to meet some of Nickie's friends that she'll be deploying with in a few weeks. Naturally, they all admitted to thinking I was the cooler sister. Since that night I find myself wondering, was that even a question? This may sound weird and somewhat creepy, but one of my favorite parts of the night was waiting in line for the restroom. You know how drunk girls are also so nice and complimentary in bar bathrooms and stuff? Well, that's exactly how this was! I ended up meeting the most amazing women from all over the world. They told me a 5 minute summary of their life story and I did the same...I'd love to be able to speak with each one, again.

Fast forward through three more Maßkrugs, amazing conversation, a few dances with a cute guy, and a desperate plea for drunk food--it's 10:45. That's when they ended the festival...10:45. If I would have known that, I probably wouldn't have paced myself as much as I did. On the way out, I bought a t-shirt that I'll proudly wear around back in America. I also managed to convince a guy to give me his currywurst, which is not at all inappropriate, despite the way it sounds. The few members of the group that were still alive and well (RIP to Mark and Nickie) decided to hit up a few bars before calling it a night.

I woke up the next morning with a $150 pair of Ralph Lauren sunglasses in my purse, along with a Jägermeister shot glass. I'm not sure how I came about receiving these items, but it's a great souvenir? I also was able to get my hands on a Maßkrug, which I think is pretty cool. On our drive back to the airport we stopped for McDonalds (because what else do you eat the morning after drinking) and let me tell you something, fast food in Europe tastes SO MUCH BETTER than in the United States.

So there you have it: Oktoberfest 2017. No amount of words can explain just how incredible this event is. It made me fall in love with another country to the point where I questioned if I wanted to pickup german as a second major and move to Bavaria after college. One thing is for sure though: once I move into 111 Mill this spring, look out for me casually drinking a tall glass of Miller Lite out of my authentic Maßkrug...feeling like a queen.