Friday afternoon I headed off to Munich for Oktoberfest. I was meeting my friend Maggie from Chapman. We were about to embark on an epic weekend! We were found a host on Couch Surfers. This is an awesome concept where you can travel all over the world and stay with people who live where you are visiting. Often times they will show you around the city and you get to learn more about the city than if you were to just go to the tourist attractions. They allow you to stay with them for free! It is amazing concept!
Maggie and I were lucky to find someone to host us for the weekend. I arrived far before she did. I met our host. He showed me to a discount grocery store. It was unique because it was a discount store and they didn't have fancy displays. These two men, who expanded their mother's grocery store into this business, are now among the richest in Germany. This was the highlight of my Friday night. It also included working on a puzzle, explaining the American political system (which of course I enjoyed!), and making a wonderful salad. My favorite point of the night was when he looked at me, completely serious, and asked me if I liked beer...
Ummm.. I looked at him baffled for a moment...I had traveled to Munich to go to Oktoberfest..a festival all about beer.. when I realized he was completely serious I said, yes I do.
All joke aside our host and his girlfriend were extremely generous and really nice people! It was great to spend the weekend with us and have them show us around Munich on Sunday. So a big thanks to them for their generosity and for saving us a BUNCH of money!
Our hosts for the weekend
Saturday we got up and headed to Oktoberfest. We met up with the Couch Surfers group and headed to a small beer tent/house that had cheaper food and beer. The festivities began! At noon the mayor tapped the first keg and the 200th Oktoberfest officially began. A few gun shots into the air and we were off and running!
The gun shots kicking off Oktoberfest 2010!
I was so impressed with the entire thing! People were dressed up in tradition garb! It was awesome. There were rides, food, beer, and music everywhere. I had a blast meeting a bunch of new people from all of the world. We went on one of the rides. It was pretty epic! You can see pictures of it in the picasa album if you are interested (below)! The rides were a million times better than any fair I'd ever been to in the states.
People were in traditional clothes all over the place! I missed the memo but next time I will be prepared!
I saw a man in a Padres hat and of course made friends with him. And by make friends I mean talked to for a minute and got a picture with him. There were some awesome Italians we hung out with for awhile as well. I loved meeting up with the Couch Surfers and I would highly recommend that for anyone who is traveling to a major event. I had a great Couch Surfing experience with the help of the Danish, Tanzanians, Americans, Indians, Iranians, Germans, and Japanese (among others I am sure)!
We were able to get into a tent after waiting in line for quite some time. We gave up on the line. Walked for 3 minutes and walked right in through a different door! People were dancing on their chairs and singing along to the live music.
Sunday our hosts made us a tradition white sausage breakfast with pretzels. Then we hit the city for a walking tour. City Hall, the Justice Department, Parliament, and a million stairs to the top of a church! I think I saw about 7 million churches all around the city.
I had a great time and was sooooo happy that Maggie and I could meet up! Thanks to Maggie for an awesome weekend and I cannot wait to travel together again!
Here are some more pictures from my trip to Munich. There are more pictures of the city and some great views from the top of the church that we went to on Sunday!
Also, here is an AMAZING video courtesy of Dan! I just couldn't help sharing a laugh with everyone!
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