Once Upon a Time at Oktoberfest

Once upon a time, I had no interest in visiting Germany.  I thought it would be bland.  I was wrong.  Germany is like a country made of gingerbread houses.  Seriously, that's what it is like.  And I can totally picture trolls living in the valleys and up in the mountains.  As I tell you the tale of Oktoberfest, please keep in mind that more than half of the people I saw were dressed in traditional Bavarian outfits, lederhosen and drndels.  They were gingerbread people.
We took an overnight bus through the Alps to arrive in the kingdom of Munich.  I was lost in my dreams for most of the journey, but would occasionally wake to find myself in the dark misty mountains.  Well after sunrise, we reached our destination.  I had a pretzel for breakfast (it was disguised as a straight poppyseed bagel) which was a bit of a shock to my taste buds since Florentine bread lacks salt. 
On this the morn before Oktoberfest, Munich was crowded with people already drinking beer with brunch while wearing lederhosen.  We found our way to a giant cuckoo clock where we met our very energetic South African bike guide.  Mike's Bike Tours has to be the best way to see Munich.  We learned about history and culture as we stopped at famous landmarks, and we got to enjoy beautiful landscapes along the river and in the English gardens.  The highlight for me was seeing the river surfers who rode a wave back and forth along the same part of the narrow river.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnqtvI9zRPI

Towards the end, we stopped at a beer garden with a giant Chinese temple.  We had lunch and beers which were very much needed following the pretzel bagel I had for breakfast.  I ordered some sort of sausage and potato fries which were delicious and something I have not had since home.  Sadly, my first German beer was not a beer, but a radler (beer mixed with lemonade), but this was the necessary choice for a girl on a bike tour.
That evening, I enjoyed my first real German beer with a roasted pork and potato dumpling dinner.  It was delicious!  Following dinner, we went to bed early to prepare for the morning festivities.

Tents open at 9 am but since this was opening day, drinks are not served until after noon when the mayor taps the first keg.  We arrived at the tents at about 8:30, almost overwhelmed by all the rides, tents, and cotton candy.  When the doors to Hofbrau's tent opened, we got inside very quickly and were able to get seats at a table between some Australians and some people that had coincidentally been on our bike tour.  The tent was enormous and very well decorated, but I don't even know how to describe it.  We played cards and ate pretzels before the 200th wedding anniversary of Ludwig and Therese was officially underway.  At noon, a band came in, everyone stood on the benches, and the brew master gave a speech to a cheering crowd. He tapped the keg and started handing out liters of beer that were overflowing with foam.  A few minutes later, our beer maid Silvia came holding at least 10 drinks (she must be very strong).  Again, it was delicious.

It was funny to see how energetic the crowd got from simply smelling the beer.  Before the whole tent had been served, everyone was singing German drinking songs and Bruce Channel's "Hey! Baby" along with band accompaniment.  So much fun!

Prost!

Happy is the word that best describes everyone.  I was afraid that the event would be sloppy or we would have to deal with aggressive drunks who want to get into fights, but everyone was friendly and in a good mood.  I met people from all over the world (thankfully everyone seemed to know English or Italian; I didn't meet anyone who spoke French though) and I wish that people were always so outgoing.
A half a roasted chicken and a many hours later, we left the tent to check out the rides.  There were small roller coasters and all sorts of fair rides, but they were pretty expensive.  We decided to go on a slide where you ride a conveyor belt to get to the top.  A lot of people were struggling to ride it, so the people working there helped them up.  Being the most coordinated person in the world, I decided that I did not need any help.  I was wrong.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wh7Y7vAO9c
Sunday, most people went to Dachau concentration camp.  I kept going back and forth about where I wanted to go or not because I get very upset about prejudice, but I decided it was an important life experience.  In line for the train, it became too real and I had to leave.
I returned to the hostel where I found our tour guide and two others who were just wanting to explore Munich.  We walked around the fairgrounds and saw parts of the parade which was very fun to see.  We went to a beer garden to share a final German beer, this brand tastier than the others.  And then I enjoyed one of those white sausages and an apple strudel before the bus ride back.
On our way home, I realized just how much Munich made me miss Boston.  It had the same fall chill and smell of roasting candied almonds, sausages rather than hot dogs, and friendly people.  I don't think I stuck out as an American as much as I do here in Italy.  And the bus ride home was beautiful.  The snow capped mountains were breathtaking, there were hundreds of farms, and little churches were tucked in the trees high up in the mountains.  I need to go back to do some yodelling.  I don't know if I have ever appreciated trees more than during that bus ride.  The side of Florence I live on has no trees.  I literally cannot think of where there is a single tree.  So thanks Munich for making me homesick. I would really love to go back to Germany and explore the whole country more thoroughly.  Hopefully I can make those plans during a future Oktoberfest.