Oktoberfest, part 1

After much schedule-jangling, we made it to Oktoberfest last Wednesday night. Our friend, Johannes, advised us on how to beat the difficult reservation system. For those of you who are unfamiliar, most of the seats in the giant "tents" (which are actually huge barn-like buildings) are booked by tour groups and businesses. You can't make a reservation unless you have 8 or more people and there's a 30 Euro per person minimum for most places. BUT, you can look online at specific reservation times and hit the tents 15 minutes after the reservation and often snag an empty spots.

Because of his insatiable desire to eat all God's creatures, Ryan wanted to hit the Ochsenbraterai, a tent run by Spaten (one of the 6 official Munich beers, the only ones allowed at Oktoberfest) which roasts over 100 whole oxen each year. We had a more chill experience than most, seeing as we went as a couple and ate outside. I didn't dance on the table nor was I vomited on like many others; but we still had a nice time, some good oxen, and enjoyed joking with some German guys at our table.

A couple of liters later, I was a little starry-eyed. We took a walk around the grounds to look at the many rides and other tents. Ryan bought me a giant heart-shaped gingerbread cookie that are so famous in Munich, and it was tasty. The atmosphere at the Wiesn is pure fun and friendliness, and the beer sure helps. (Although one of our table-mates called Spaten "piss", Ryan has tried them all and can't tell the difference.) It was expensive (about 8 euros a liter), but a very fun night.