I Survived Oktoberfest...I think!!

View from the plane of the Alps coming through the clouds Germany...The first impression I had flying over Germany was how green it is and it's very mountainous. The mountains are so high and many were coming through the clouds. It was such an awesome view from the plane. Throughout my travels I have been through many metro systems. Let me tell you that Munich's was the hardest by far. It was so confusing and and the stations are 3 stories high. Thankfully, there were many nice people willing to help out. In our Dirndl Kristin and I arrived to our couch surfing house where we met our host Olaf. This guy was so great. He was extremely nice and has traveled all over so it was nice listening to his stories. The first night Kristin and I just walk a around a little, got some food and ice cream and then went home to watch a movie with Olaf and his friend Mathias...Mathias was also there for the weekend. Saturday we had a traditional German breakfast of white sausage and pretzels with sweet mustard which was very good. Then we went shopping for a dirndl...a traditional dress the women wear and the men wear lederhosen. People will wear these outfits all through Oktoberfest at work, walking around the town and for the festival. That afternoon we went to Oktoberfest and I can not believe the enormity of this event. It is a huge carnival with rides and food and also the beer tents. People were everywhere and if you get lost you have no hope of finding your party. Kristin and I made sure we were not separated from Olaf and his friends. Everyone I met at the festival was extremely nice and friendly...it could be for the fact that everyone was drunk, but none the less they were nice. I have many pictures with random people that we met throughout the night. At first we were outside one of the beer tents because it was so crowded in all of the tents. But it didn't matter because we could still have some drinks. Now the beer was much bigger than I thought it would be. Each mug is 2 pints which equals 1 liter and holy cow it was so heavy. I had to hold it with 2 hands. The waitresses could carry 6 at a time. You really have to have arm and hand muscles to be able to hold 3 in each hand. My right hand even has a bruise from holding it. Later that night we finally made it into the beer tent. We made it in through a side entrance. I am glad we got inside or else it wouldn't have been the same. Inside is so gigantic. There are tables upon tables of people drinking beer. There is also a band playing and everyone is standing up on the benches dancing and singing. I even learning a couple of phrases and songs. Don't ask me what they are because I don't remember them and probably only will when I am drunk again. I know for sure that I had 4 mugs of beer. After that it's a little sketchy. I can't even explain how much fun we had. I lost my voice by the end of the night from all the singing and yelling. In between we had some some food...if I remember correctly a German sausage sandwich, cheese bread and a huge hot dog. Oktoberfest closes ever night at 11pm which is a good thing. If it was any later than I wouldn't have been able to last. I am told most people go to this thing 3 or 4 nights during the week. I have no idea how they can do this. There would be no way I could have done that twice...I was finished after the first night. Olaf told us that most people go to work hung over and feeling terrible which is understandable. Beer #1 Back: Sasha & Mathias, Front: Olaf, Kristin & I Some new friends I met from New Zealand The beer hall we eventually entered Inside the beer hall Sunday morning was difficult. I wasn't feeling my best which may be an understatement. When we all finally got up we had some bread and a variety of toppings to put on. Then we walked around the city. We went to the English Garden which was several meters big. We didn't even go through half of it. The is a river that runs through it and in one section there is a natural, continuous wave. Here there are people that will surf on it. There are also many beer gardens and in one section a nudist colony. Thankfully, one was was there that day. Then we took a drive through the Alps to the Neuschwanstein Castle...this castle was the inspiration for the Disneyland Castle. FYI-There is a highway in which there is no speed limit. Olaf, as I'm sure most Germans do, took advantage of this little gem. Let's just say that I was a little scared for my life. At least we were not on it for very long. The drive took about and hour and a half, but the view made up for it. It was just so green and beautiful. I still can't get over that fact. When I thought of Germany I never expected the green countryside. it was a delightful surprise. The castle is amazing. It is in the mountains on a hilltop. It take about 30 minutes uphill to get to the castle. It was quite a workout. We didn't go inside, but just seeing it was well worth it. Looking down at the valley below was green and gorgeous...they are also many lakes which I didn't expect. We were able to walk all around the castle. To get to the back though you have to hike up anther hill and then go on a scary bridge for the back view. It was really wobble and not something I wanted to be on for long. Walking back to the car was easy because it was all downhill...thankfully! The Neuschwanstein Castle Scary bridge to see back of castle View from top of hill by the castle Monday Kristin and I walked around for awhile and had breakfast at a cute little cafe. Surprisingly, most everyone we met spoke English which was good for us. Although, I shouldn't be too surprised because most people I met on my trips the locals know some sort of English. I guess I was just shocked by how many people spoke it and how well they did it. Munich was a great experience and I hope to go back someday. As a side note: I never realized the German people are so tall. Unlike Spain I saw many cute guys :)