Munich, Germany and Oktoberfest

Having perfected my ability to overcome jet-lag quickly, I didn’t hesitate one second to book a four day trip to Munich, Germany back in August.  Passport in hand, I left for Munich on September 26th.  I luckily was not impacted by the idiot who decided to set an FAA facility ablaze.  Cross one off the bucket list!  Oktoberfest here I come. 

 You drink, you eat, you sing, you sleep.  In reality, unless you’re aiming for liver damage and high cholesterol, spending more than two days at Oktoberfest is not necessary.  Of course when I landed, I wasted no time trying to achieve both.  Blurry eyed and tired, I found myself drinking a stein of beer, munching on sausage and singing Zicke Zacke Zicke Zacke.  Dirndls and lederhosen as far as the eye can see–It is Disneyland but for drunken German Adults. 

 Since it was only Charlie and me, reservations (the preferred method of entry) were not an option so we waited in line at one of the tents to join the fun.   A stein of beer, one liter,  is 10 Euros.  There are no beer lists, there are no choices.  Either you drink what the brewery is pouring or you don’t.  Outside the tents is a carnival to experience with rides, food and games.  It’s like a State Fair in the middle of  a city sans farm animals or a pie judging contest.  Instead of a deep fried Twinkie you can indulge in Oktoberfestherzen (ginger bread cookie hearts).  It’s pretty awesome.  

 After a few (two- maybe three…I wasn’t counting?) steins of beer, it was nap time.  I might be able to overcome jetlag in a day, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel the effects of an international flight.  A couple hours of shut-eye and a shower, I was feeling refreshed and HUNGRY.  Indecisive about where or what to eat, Charlie and I walked around taking in the sights of Munich at night. 

And then by chance we landed on Haxnbauer. Haxen are pork and veal knuckles.  Grilled over a wood rotisserie they are downright delicious.  The meat is crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside.  Served with a chewy dumpling and gravy– It’s a carnivorous heaven. 

 We woke up on Sunday and decided to do a bit of sightseeing. 

The Nymphenburg Palace is stunning.  
  

And, the BMW headquarters and museum were impressive.  

 

After having lunch in a lovely beer garden at Weisses Bräuhaus we decided to keep the party going. 

We hit up both the Hofbrauhaus and Der Pschorr.   I have to say that I really hope the Hacker Pschorr Radler makes its way to the US.   Refreshing! 

That night we checked out the Munich music scene at Milla and saw Mo Kenney.    The concert was ODD.  Unlike Oktoberfest where everyone sings, claps and cheers, I was the only person who was swaying to the music and clapping.  Only…I mean ONLY after a song finished did the audience applaud.  I felt like I was being Punk’d and at any moment Aston Kusher was going to show up.  He never did.   

Putting our bizarre music experience behind us, we headed to Schumann’s Bar for a night cap.  After an excellent cocktail, we called it a night but not before stopping for a little slice of doner kebob heaven.   

 The next day, we took the train to Salzburg, Austria.  We had fun touring the city and the countryside (the hills were defiantly alive!).   Salzburg was so wonderful that the excursion deserves its own post.  Stay tuned, I’ll have the post up soon.  

On our final day in Munich we beat the crowds and headed back to Oktoberfest for breakfast.  Beer and sausage at 10 AM –German music playing in the background–this is why I work, to vacation like a rock star!  The beers were a great primer for an afternoon of shopping and wandering the streets of Munich.  One of my favorite activities on any vacation is walking around and seeing what I find.  I especially love to look at the open air market’s fresh produce and specialty goods.  

Before leaving the US I had made dinner reservation at Tramin for our last night.  And, I was so happy that I did.  The menu, pick the number of courses you want to eat and describe any food allergies that you have, was wonderful.   Our meal was delicous, the service was great and the wine pairings complimented every course.   It was the perfect meal to end a great trip.  

Prost!