As I boarded the plane from Cork to Munich, I thought of all the crazy stories I had heard about Oktoberfest. For someone who dislikes beer and large crowds, I was nervous for what I was getting myself into. Germany was the first country I had traveled to that was not English speaking. The language barrier proved to be more of a problem than we assumed when my friends and I got on the wrong train and ended up an hour outside of Munich on the border of Austria! Our entire first day in Germany was spent getting lost. But such is traveling! And we got to see the Apls..
After our adventure, we finally made it to the festival. It was nighttime and everything was lit up beautifully. It was kind of like the Jersey shore boardwalk times 100! And just like the boardwalk, delicious food and fun rides were everywhere. We finished up the night hanging out in a beer garden. However, I was ready for bed after the long day.
The next day we woke up bright and early to get in line for the Hacker tent. (In order to be served food and beer you must have a table. The lines start forming around 8 a.m.) Not being a beer drinker, I managed to finish one and was very proud of myself. The spirit inside the tent was a happy one with German music playing and everyone from around the world socializing; so many different languages and cultures in one area!
Although some people managed to stay in the tents for the whole weekend, I had to get out and explore the city. Munich was not what I expected at all. It was an awesome city. I had lunch at a huge outdoor market; saw beautiful architecture and even some unbelievable historical sights.
