The Wiesn

Another Oktoberfest has come and nearly gone - the last hours are winding down as I type this. I spent this weekend in Munich with one of my crazy Brit friends celebrating our personal 3rd annual Oktoberfest.

We had a bit of a rough start yesterday as we stayed out way too late on Friday in our warm up round. Normally the idea is to be at the Wiesn by 8.30 AM to have a chance to enter one of the tents.

Our day went more like this. The day started around 9.30 AM with a groan from across the heavily shaded hotel room. By the time we made it to the tents it was nearly 11 and we could neither of us think about drinking a beer and we had no chance to get in any tent until nightfall when people started leaving. It was freezing cold, and started to rain heavily. I even think I saw some snow flurries. We stood inside a telephone booth for about 30 minutes kicking ourselves for not dressing warmer and bringing an umbrella. We tried to get into one tent and failed. Then we started to discuss going to see a movie, museum or at least find the nearest starbucks to warm up and have some post hangover coffee.

But have no fear - we rallied shortly after getting into one of the outdoor beer gardens and finding a cozy spot right under a heater. By 2 PM we managed to have our first beer, had made friends with 6 Dutch guys, 2 German girls and an incoherent trio of Italians and a conveyer belt of cameo appearances and away we went for Oktoberfest 2008. We made it out until a respectable 12.30 AM.

So, why on earth would I put myself through all that?

10 ten reasons why I love Oktoberfest:

1. The Randomness anything can and does happen at the Oktoberfest.


2. My dirndl its girly pink and green and I love it.


3. Beer! and even better, the Radler.


4. Lederhosen and even better the lederhosen contest.*


5. Obazda and Brez'n why can't this be diet food?


6. The music Oh yes it is horrible and cheesy and like a mass karaoke gone terribly wrong but it will stay in your head for days.


7. The international crowd they come from everywhere, you fumble with broken french, german, english, italian, spanish, dutch or more but at the end of the day you are all jumping up and down on the benches singing Country Roads, Take Me Home together.


8. The rides it is brilliant that after a full day of beer drinking you can be spun, dropped and dizzy from more than just the beer.


9. The food Oktoberfest is the perfect compliment to a fall day and lots of beer - hot, hearty, carb heavy and filling.


10. The stories the next day put reasons 1-9 together and there are some great stories to laugh about for days to come.

* Warning: If you find objectifying men objectionable then better skip this last part.

The lederhosen contest consists of a little game we started in year 1 of Oktoberfest. As part of the general drivel we were spouting on that first day, my two friends and I were having a debate if it is possible to have a cute butt in lederhosen. So the search started and the debate continued. To this day we have found no scientific evidence that lederhosen can be butt-flattering. But we continue the search anyway...like Scully and Mulder.

Posted from Zürich