Oktoberfest
A festival full of sexy lederhosen, gorgeous dirndls, all the beer you can drink, and German drinking music galore!
Oktoberfest was absolutely everything I expected it to be, and I'm so incredibly glad I had the opportunity to go for just one day.
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| I really love Oktoberfest attire--but I'm still warming up to the beer. |
My German boy and I accompanied our friend, Martin, to the wiesn grounds around noon on Saturday morning. My nutritional breakfast consisted of two radlers (half beer, half lemonade) and some chicken schnitzel on a glorious carbohydrate of sorts. After guzzling down our breakfast in the pitter patter of rain, we ventured down into the swarm of delightful chaos!
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| It was really cold that day, and a little dreary, but everyone's spirit was so high I didn't really notice! :) |
I was happily overwhelmed by the smells of candied almonds, questionable meat roasting, massive mounds of cotton candy, and other delectable treats. There were men and women from all over the world, some more more inebriated than others. However, my two escorts looked especially charming in their blue, plaid shirts and lederhosen .
We were extremely lucky in the fact that we only waited about one hour and a half before we were finally able to get into a tent. The doormen were absolutely ferocious, and quite vulgar to say the least, to whomever attempted to clamber inside of the doors without their permission. While waiting in line I saw several men thrown out of the doors for perhaps drinking too much, causing a ruckus, or touching the waitresses. One poor fellow was thrown out wearing a dirndl and lots of rogue--the ending result of a bachelor party or malicious bet? Then, in the next moment, I found myself being hustled inside of the Paulaner tent. This tent happens to be one of the largest at the festivals and all of the beer is brewed right in Munich!
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| The Beer Goddesses were on our side this day! Once inside the temperature rose immediately and my cheeks were flushed from everything I saw. Music filled my ears, along with the drunken slurs of Oktoberfest-goers. We rushed to a table and the visitors graciously let us join their party. I should also mention at this point that I was VERY grateful that Sebastian and Martin discouraged me from wearing heels to the wiesn! As soon as we got to the table we stood up on the benches, ordered three liters of beer, and started dancing like fools (to say the least). It would have been a complete, tragic disaster if I would have worn anything other than flats--those benches, and my ankles, would have surely been broken! It was also very competitive to get a seat--some men had been sitting in the same place since sun rise. Others had passed out with their poor foreheads on the beer and roasted chicken-slimed tables from one too many liters. Thankfully I didn't experience this personally! |
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| "Gut, Besser, Paulaner!" Yes, it WAS good. |
Due to all of the dancing, laughing, and lack of food I found myself very thirsty! I may or may not have had four liters of beer during my evening at the Paulaner tent...
Also, I'm pretty sure the jovial band was what kept the whole tent going.
At one point "Sweet Caroline" and "American Pie" were also sung, but I preferred the German songs that the band almost-patriotically played throughout the night. Below you'll find one of my favorites! It's especially fun because you have to make swimming, muscle squeezing, and other motions as the song progresses.
German Fliegerlied Lyrics
Ich lieg gern im Gras und schau zum Himmel rauf.
Schaun die ganzen die Wolken nicht lustig aus?
Und Fliegt ein Flieger vorbei,
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| Prost! :) |
dann wink ich zu ihm rauf.
(Kinder: "Hallo Flieger")
Und bist du auch noch dabei,
dann bin super drauf.
Und ich flieg, flieg, flieg, wie ein Flieger
bin so stark, stark, stark,
wie ein Tiger
und so groß, groß, groß, wie 'ne Giraffe
so hoch uoh-oh-oh
und ich spring, spring, spring immer wieder
und ich schwimm, schwimm, schwimm
zu dir rüber und ich nehm, nehm, nehm dich bei der Hand weil ich dich mag
und ich sag:
Heut ist so ein schöner Tag - la, la, la, la, la
(Wiederholung)
English Fliegerlied Lyrics
"Today is Such a Beautiful Day (Flier song)"
I like to lay in the grass and look up at the sky.
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| Really, I wish I could wear a dirndl everyday! |
Don't all the clouds look
funny?
And a plane flies past,
and I wave up at it.
(Kids: "Hello flier")
And if you're there too,
then I feel fantastic.
And I fly, fly, fly, like a plane
am so strong, strong, strong
like a tiger
and so tall, tall, tall like a
giraffe
and tall all-oh-oh
and I jump, jump, jump
and keep on jumping
and I swim, swim,
swim
over to you and I take, take, take
you by the hand because I
like you
and I say
Today is such a beautiful day - la, la, la, la, la
(Repeat)
Auf wiedersehen, Oktoberfest!
Until next year.
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