11 years ago, I went to Oktoberfest with my friend Brent. Six hours later, I was in the hospital with a broken ankle. I had surgery, then spent six days in a Munich hospital.
I may have been smiling, but this wasn’t fun.
Tosh.0, a TV show on Comedy Central, has a segment called Web Redemption, during which the host grants people who have had massively embarrassing F*@# ups the opportunity to have a do over. It was while watching this show that I decided I needed an Oktoberfest Redemption.
Oktoberfest, as most people probably know, is a 2 week long festival in Munich at the end of September. The origins of the festival date back to King Ludwig I’s wedding in 1810. The festival takes place in fairgrounds, where carnival rides, games and food kiosks are set up. Also in the grounds are several large beer tents. The tents have long wooden tables, bands, and kitchens.
Each tent only serves one type of beer (Lowenbrau, Paulaner, Augustiner, etc.). The aim of the game is clearly to get inebriated, since beer can only be purchased in 1 liter steins, called mass, and the beer is actually STRONGER during Oktoberfest.
Someone has had a few liters.
Paul, Lindsay and I planned 3 days in Munich. Our first order of business was to find traditional clothes to wear. Many people told us that it would be easier for us to get into tents if we weren’t dressed like tourists. Lindsay and I managed to find second-hand dirndls, but Paul bought new lederhosen.
Clad in our new clothes, we headed to the tents to partake in the festivities. We spent one night and one day at the fest, where we met numerous exuberantly friendly Germans. Locals reserve tables months in advance, in order to ensure seats. Since we didn’t reserve a table, be had to squeeze in with others, or stand on the side. Luckily, everyone we met was really welcoming, which may have had something to do with the beer.
When we weren’t spending time in the tents, we briefly wandered around Munich, where we found surfers. Yup. Surfers. This landlocked city has a single wave on a river, upon which wetsuit clad people surf.
While inebriation was inevitable, bones remained unbroken. That, in my opinion, is an Oktoberfest Redemption success.
Side note: One thing that was totally confusing to me was the gingerbread. People purchase heart-shaped gingerbread cookies with sayings such as “I love you” written on them, and wear them around their necks. Some guys we were chatting to bought one, then were absolutely horrified when I proceeded to eat the cookie. They said that they don’t eat them. It’s not like the cookie was stale or gross; it was fresh and delicious. I don’t understand how they can wear yummy gingerbread around their necks and refrain from eating it. That’s torture.
