Hey all, Next week I'll be traveling to Germany to attend Oktoberfest. It's my first time at this event so I was looking for some advice from any of you who have been regarding what to do, where to go etc. I have already been to Munich twice and have seen most of the sights, but this is my first time for Oktoberfest. Any suggestions (besides getting really drunk, I already have planned that... ) ? I'll be staying in a youth hostle (or should i say hostile?) somewhere...my sister is in charge of lodging. I have no trouble taking subways and trains around, but I'm only going to be there for 3 days, so I kinda want to stay in the city. Yeah! i Can't wait!
Well yes that's true. I guess they got fed up with us english idiots screaming "GIVE ME EINEN BEER PLEASE"
Actually, I took 4 years of German in high school. That was a while back, but I think I still remember some of it. All you really need to know survive is: "Es tut mir leid, ich bin nur ein dummes Tourist." "I'm sorry, I'm just a stupid tourist." That should keep ya outta trouble
i always prefer Dummkopf, rolls of the tounge. As for the fest, never once been while i've been old enough to drink properly , but its a great fun thing, more than just beer, also lotsa meet + cheese, generally un-healthy stuff. We used to go every year till we got posted.
Well, I am back from Oktoberfest and I have to say that it was an amazing experience. I'd recommend going with a group of friends if you like beer and big parties. Also I'd stay at least 2-3 days. I only had enough time to stay for 2 days, and I feel like I didn't get to see/do enough in that time. I got the flu while I was there, so i had to spend one day lying in bed staring at the wall... Other than that, it was a great time. We discovered this meal called Doner Kabob. It's cooked lamb thinly sliced and put between bread with lettuce, tomato and this sauce. Extremely good, especially after a few litres of beer. Not being from the area though, it was hard to find pubs open past midnight. The first night we were there, we got kicked out of the Hofbrauhaus at 11:30. We wanted to keep the party going but everything was closed, so we ened up going to McDonalds and drinking beer there... Being from the US, McDonalds is not the place I would associate with hanging out and having a beer but as they say, desperate times...
Glad you liked it! Because I am from Munich and also live there, I visit it a couple of times every year. It really is amazing. The only thing I really dislike is that it is overcrowded most of the time. Our whole 12th grade had a senior skip day on a Tuesday and we all went there at 11:00 in the morning. That is about the only time you can get seats without a reservation. The Döner Kebab you ate is Turkish by the way, and yes, it does taste good. I however, prefer my Weißwurst (white sausage), Wiesn' Händl (Oktoberfest chicken) and the Ente mit Knödel (duck with dumpling). Oh and beer, lots of beer !
Obviously not the same as the one in Germany, but when I lived in South Africa there were Oktoberfest events every year by the local German community. Great fun, absolutely huge beer mugs too Wouldn't mind going to a real one in Germany myself sometime.
Ok, since you're FROM there, let me ask you: What's up with McDonalds being the only "pub" open after midnight??? I also sampled the Weisswurst, Apfelstrudel, and Brezeln. Everything was great. What caught my eye though was the Fish-on-a-stick. When I get home tonight I'm gonna post a pic because you guys really have to see this. It is literally a whole fish....on a stick. Oh one other thing. All the German girls were wearing Dirndls, and looking quite hot!
The prettiest girls are still in Cologne and Hamburg, according to a study I heard on Radio... tis true though... mwuahahahahaa... Oktoberfest rocks however and the only thing that does suck is the high criminality rate during the Oktoberfest, but the local police have it under control quite well. Cheers Fred
Fish on a Stick Hungry? This is one of the Beer Halls on the opening night. Total chaos. Notice everyone is standing on the tables. This is because the whole place was soaked with beer by this time at night. Also notice all the clothing hanging from that dude on the ceiling...
British kebabs are rubbish - the german example is excellent - better than high street fast food any day... Oktoberfest is of course the biggest and most famous beer festival in germany but there are others that are also worth visiting, for example the Berg in Erlangen, Bavaria (may 2005, http://www.der-berg-ruft.de/, cheap flights to Nuremberg from Stansted). Apologies for the blatant pimpage but I was v. impressed.. Another advantage of smaller fests is the comparative lack of tourist tat, whilst still having an excellent atmosphere. high-school german is sufficient for everyday stuff.
McDonald's is definately not the only "pub" open after 12:00. There are many Gasthäuser (pubs) scattered all over the city, which are open till about 3:00AM or later. Also Munich has really many clubs which you could have visited including Europes biggest party zone the "Kultfabrik" (it incorporates a pub called "Nachtkantine" (night cafeteria) which has food all night long). A really good site for planning this kind of stuff is MunichX (German). Those fish on sticks are called Steckerlfisch btw. They are supposed to be really good but I am not really a fish fan.
