Munich's Oktoberfest 2013

I'm just back from Oktoberfest 2013
and
just about over my jet lag!

I joined my youngest daughter in Munich, Germany.

She has been living there for the past year and

insisted that my visit coincide with their Oktoberfest.

Oktoberfest is the World's largest fair held in

Munich, Bavaria, Germany. (Bavaria is it's region.)

It's a16-day festival beginning late in September and ending

usually the first Sunday in October.

 

The first Oktoberfest was held in 1810 to commemorate

the wedding of Crowned Prince Ludwig (later King) and Princess Therese.

By 1960, it became the World's largest festival. 

 

Germans wear their traditional clothing of Dirndls and Lederhosen.

Women can wear either a dirndl or lederhosen but the men, obviously,

just wear the lederhosen like the above picture shows.

 

More than 6 million

people from around the world attend Oktoberfest.

I was one of the 6 million this year!

 

The festival is much like our fair complete with Ferris wheel and other rides.

The focus of Oktoberfest is the beer and their breweries -- and hours of beer drinking!

 

 

Each beer brewery has a "Biergarten" and

sets up a "tent" on the premise.

These tents are taken down and set up every year!

 

The breweries also have a team of horses carrying keg/barrels of their beer.

 

The barrels are gorgeous with their fresh flowers.

 

 

We first went inside Hacker Festzelt.

 

 

It was the first tent I had gone into and I was in awe

at the size, the beauty, as well as the number of people inside!

We couldn't easily find a place at a table so we
decided to try another tent.

 

We then went into Augustiner Bräu.

It was equally as beautiful and equally as crowded!
My German-speaking daughter asked occupants at a table if they
 could fit us in and they made room for us!  Yay!

 

We immediately bought a large pretzel from a cute
"pretzel gal" in her dirndl dress. 

 

 

Then we ordered a "mass" of beer - to share.

I was amazed that the servers could hold so many masses of beer.
Her left thumb and fingers were holding the handles to each of the
bottom six and the seventh was just sitting on top!
She made it look effortless!

A mass glass holds 1 liter of beer and is the only size available.

 

An interesting note on the "Oktoberfest Beer" is that the beer is brewed

specifically for Oktoberfest and must contain a minimum of 6% alcohol.

(A higher alcohol content then in their normally brewed beer.)

It must also be brewed within the city limits of Munich.

 

Needless to say it is a lively crowd who often arrive and stay at their

tables from 10:30 in the morning until 10:30 at night listening
to the live music, eating, and drinking!

 

Eins, zwei, drei, Gsuffa!

(One, Two, Three, Drink!)

 

Food is served all day long...
 

 

and can be ordered table-side inside...
(Chicken, red cabbage, and a boiled potato!)

 

 

and outside...
 (Sausages and the like!)

and sweets for the sweet tooth!

 

I was content sharing my mass of beer and pretzel with my daughter.

 

Another Oktoberfest tradition is buying your sweetie a
decorated gingerbread cookie heart necklace called a Lebkuchenherz.
(Lebkuchen = gingerbread  Herz = heart)

 

My daughter bought me one that actually means "sweetie"
and I wore it around my neck like a necklace.
Many of them were humorous and endearing like "little mouse".

These gingerbread hearts can also be found again
during the Christmas holidays.

What a fun day to be remembered...

 

"Until we meet again!"

 

The next day we were off to visit friends in The Netherlands... Tchus!

 

 

Thank you for visiting my blog!

 

 

This week I will be joining

The Tablescaper's Oh! The PLACES I've Been!

 

 

Fondly,

~Karen