Oktoberfest!!! Actually, kind of disappointing…
Monday, September 22nd, 2008Yes, you read that right. Oktoberfest was a little disappointing.
I got off the train at 7am and was immediately surrounded by drunk, lederhosen wearing Germans dragging cases of beer and singing drinking songs. So, to blend in, I grabbed a couple beers and followed the crowd to the Theresienwiese. I was told that no tents were allowed to serve alcohol until the keg was officially tapped, by the mayor, at the Schottenhamel tent, so I made my way there, behind just about 300 people. After 3 hours of drinking and singing, a door opened and everyone shoved. I was immediately crushed under the weight of the people behind us pushing as hard as possible. After 2 more hours of straight shoving, we were told it was full and needed to leave. Apparently, they opened up a different door than the main door, and let everyone in the back get in. Bastards!!! Plus at this point I had run out of beer and was desperate for another one.
After watching the parades, I made my way over to the Lowenbrau tent, just to be turned away because both the tent and biergarten were full. Every tent I tried, full. Even the Haufbrau tent, that serves people who are standing wouldn’t let anyone else in. How can I be at Oktoberfest and not have a fucking beer!!! I finally found a small biergarten run by Paulaner, so I was able to have a couple beers there.
Unfortunately the rest of the day and night was more of the same, so I left Munich disappointed. Unable to see the tapping of the keg, going hours without a beer, unable to get into any tents, and I even left for my train almost sober! Unlike my first visit to Oktoberfest, the opening day was far too crowded. Maybe I’ll visit again the first weekend in October…
mrnational
