Posts Tagged With: lederhosen

Theresienwiese

Posted on October 12, 2015 by erikamae82

Dirndl: a traditional dress typically worn in southern Germany primarily in Bavaria during Oktoberfest.

Lederhosen: a mans traditional outfit worn in southern Germany primarily in Bavaria during Oktoberfest.

Beer: the number one liquid (even over water) consumed during the 16 day festival.

Time to experience Bavaria Germany at the worldwide known event! Feel free to read Hurry up and wait! to see how we made it to this moment.

Once the doors open there are 2 rules, no running and no standing on the table tops. Other than that, first come-first serve. Ready, set, GO!

Once you’ve claimed your table, you sit patiently like children in the classroom waiting for cupcakes and chocolate milk. The menu is on the table for the ordering all day and the beers start flowing from out of nowhere!

Quick story of the day: Carina and Jenni ordered Weisswurst (a white Bavarian sausage) that requires the removal of a thin skin before you can eat the meat. I’m used to this process after witnessing in times past, however my sweet girls clearly had never seen such a thing. Please… please enjoy this sequence of photos I captured during the removal of the skin!

Well that was fun.
All righty, lets take a look around and share the glorious energy of thousands of people gathering to celebrate! In no specific order, here’s a series of photos for your own personal tour through the eyes of my camera.

Did I mention that we were still having a blast? My cheeks began to hurt from the laughing, singing and smiling. The energy all around just keeps you going!

Year after year, we’ve kept our classic photo a tradition!

End of the day? Yep.

Hopefully that gave you a decent idea of the fun to be had inside the tents at Oktoberfest. Tomorrow will bring a solid vision of what’s happening on the outside during these festivities!

Random Oktoberfest facts:

Oktoberfest started as a celebration of the wedding between Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and his wife, Princess Therese.

There is approximately 1.8 million gallons of beer served every year at this festival.

Paris Hilton is banned for Oktoberfest due to inappropriate dress attire while trying to promote a new product.

Over 4,000 lost and found items turn up by the end of these shenanigans. Last year items included 350 cell phones, 520 wallets, over 1,000 passports, 370 pairs of glasses, 425 sets of keys, 1300 items of clothing, and at least one set of dentures. Even 48 children were lost, then found.

Categories: Edibles!, Fashion from a backpack, Uncategorized | Tags: Costume, dirndle, Festival, Friends, Germans, Germany, lederhosen, Munich, Oktoberfest, tent | Leave a comment

Oktoberfest- Inside the tents!

Posted on October 3, 2012 by erikamae82

In the previous post you got to see the outskirts of the festival and the crowds that come with it. Let’s enter the social world of the tents.

Just for fun, here are a few photos from the years past of Oktoberfest.

These fine gentlemen are friends from my home town of Folsom. They were my beer drinking instructors and guides in the first Oktoberfest I attended.

You can go about getting into the tents in a variety of ways.

Option 1: You can reserve a seat (up to a year in advanced) and be able to walk right in and sit in your desired tent at a table at the time you’ve picked. Easiest option, but requires way to big of a commitment for my preference.
Option 2: You can arrive to the festival whenever you want and walk from tent to tent, trying your luck to see which has the shortest line or friendliest security guard. To sketchy for me, inside the tents are worth more of an effort.
Option 3: Wake up before the sun and get in line to the tent you want and stand for 3-4 hours patiently waiting for the ropes to drop while you prepare to be elbowed for a table in the rush of other hopefuls trying to snag the best seat. Winner!

It’s 6:45am and we are dressed and ready to battle the lines of the famous Schottenhamel. It’s the oldest and the largest tent with 10,000 seats. In my opinion, it’s the best offering a variety of characters from youthful travelers to veteran Germans. At noon on opening day, Munich’s Mayor kicks off the festival by tapping the first keg of beer at the Schottenhamel tent… And now we are headed there!

Dressed and ready for day two!

The walk brings a glimpse of sunrise and we are now in line with all fingers crossed that we’ll get in. Here is the first two hours of the day.

We met these lovely ladies in line. Let the list of new friends begin!

As the line inches forward with each small group they let in at a time, your heart starts beating a bit faster, palms get sweaty, tummy starts to growl and… Well, maybe that’s just me, either way you can feel the energy around you start to grow as you can look in and see the next group getting ready as they clear the outdoor tables. Here we all are watching, squeezing and getting ready to be let in!

It’s getting tighter!

And we’re in… the beer garden. Let’s clarify, you can be on the grounds of the tent which is outdoor seating with the same food and same drinks. I rate this a “B-“. At least you’re in, but it’s lacking the live band, people singing and dancing on tables and the other 9,000 friends you haven’t met yet.

First up, 2 beers and some soup (Marshall added some sausage to his order) Perfect breakfast!

When sitting outside, here’s what you’ll see. I’ll start out with our awesome neighbors and new friends that took a train here from the Netherlands. So nice to of met you, and let’s keep in touch!

Although I was thankful to at least get this close, I was far from being settled that Marshall hasn’t experienced the controlled chaos of inside the tent. They’ve locked the doors and are just letting a few people in as some are exiting.

Our plan: I work my way in by showing them a “thumbs up” sign, which means there’s only one of me. Then after I get in, I wait for a minute then ask the inside guard if he can let my friend in because we got separated. Is this sneaky or smart? I’m not sure, but worth it if it works!

Step one accomplished! I’m in and now standing in the adult Disneyland with my poor friend outside pressed against the door window like a puppy locked out in the rain.

His view through the glass.

My view. Can you see his sad little face through the window?

Step two, I approach the guard and before I open my mouth he shakes his head no. I look at Marshall’s eager eyes and give him the deep sigh and “I’ll try again” look. Step three, four, and five are identical to step two.

Final attempt- I went to the door man who appeared to be not German and used my Spanish… Thank you español! He smiled and responded by pointing to Marshall’s bearded puppy face and literally pulled him in by the wrist as the surrounding hopefuls grumbled under their breath in jealousy. WE DID IT!

From this point forward you walk around and wait for the opportunity for an open seat a table with people who are willing to let you slide in. (This is of course because we didn’t have reservations or anyone else there saving a table).

Between his friendly face and my enthusiastic smile, we score yet again! Here’s the next 4 hours of our celebration!

…and the Prost!

Look who it is… The first pic is from last year at Oktoberfest, followed by us this year! Thank you Tim and Marion for the smiles and open arms to this amazing celebration!

The refreshing walk home was complemented with a little rain, open air and nothing but giggles. What a day!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: beer, Dancing, dirndl, drinking, Germany, lederhosen, Munich, Oktoberfest, singing, tents | 1 Comment

Oktoberfest – Outside of the tents

Posted on October 2, 2012 by erikamae82

Our train to Munich was my first experience in a spacious sleeper cabin. When I say spacious, I mean large enough to stand next to your bag with one foot on the bed and an elbow in the sink. We had to take turns getting ready but that was a tiny price to pay for a decent nights rest and saving night in a hostel.

The first year I did this journey, I had a seat in the night train next to “Sir Snores All Night” and an innocent child that was clearly tired and miserable. The following year my dear friend Tiffany and I chose floor space in the doorway and kept ourselves entertained. Here’s a shot from that “seat”.

Considering the last trip on ground that was twice as long on a bus in South America, this sleeper car was beyond luxury!

We woke up in time to hear them announce our soon arrival, woohoo! As we hopped off the train, we find a fellow backpacker adjusting his bag… its Alan! You’ll see more of Alan later, but just know we met him in the hostel back in Amsterdam. All of his friends had bailed so he was traveling solo for this portion of his trip. Not now, he happen to meet us at the right time in the right place! What a coincidence. You all know I don’t believe in those, so what a perfect path crossing!

He joined us for a walk around Munich before we parted ways to check in for the weekend. (I’ll show you more of Munich after the Oktoberfest posts).

We checked in to our new temporary home and are ready for day one of our 48 hour whirlwind of Oktoberfest. This is Marshall’s first time, so I thought we’d take it easy and experience the outdoor portion first. This of course means we are saving the “tent” shinanagins for the bright and early start on Saturday!

Step one: Suit up! If I don’t say so myself, I think we did a fantastic job of sporting the traditional outfits. I’m in a dirndl that I got the first year I attended and have proudly warn ever since and Marshall is well fitted in his shiny new lederhosen!

I think our “welcome packages” were adorable! The heart cookie necklaces are traditional this time of year, similar to the American “Valentine”, you adorn your sweetie with a phrase of your choice. I have no idea what our says… I just know they’re not for eating (yes, I tried a nite…its a cookie!) Aside from the necklace we got the Oktoberfest beer, a sample size of local liquor and a mug shot glass.

Step two: Finish the outfit with an awesome hat that says “Tourist… Who me?”

Step three: Take in the sights! Outside of the beer drinking tents (that are actually huge buildings that fit 6-10 thousand people each) there are rides for all ages, food stands, souvenir shops, and thousands of energized people. Many dressed in the appropriate clothes, others in casual wear and my personal favorite are the elderly couples hand in hand in what appears to be authentic outfits they’ve probably had for generations!

I wish I could of recorded the verbal exchange when I was asking this young German couple if they would be a part of my handstand picture, hilarious!

These guys were at a beer garden we visited that was just outside of the festival. We entered a conversation of “tough countries” and naturally it ends up in an arm wrestling match. I dedicate these photos to “The Young Family” in Oklahoma.

Step four: Partake in your choice of typical Bavarian festival food! Note to future Oktoberfest attendees: Do not… I repeat do not try and pump your own mustard unless you would like a small bruise from a local German vendor operator.