Umpa, Pretzels and Beer!!

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Originally uploaded by mr_dj72

I arrived a little early in Munich and had some time to kill. Having never traveled there I had little idea where to go or what to do. After grabbing a pretzel and some mineral water at the station I walked outside to see a swarm of people all heading in the same direction - so I did what any curious young traveler would do - follow the crowd. It didn't take me long to figure out where all the cheerful people were heading, no it wasn't the Pied Piper they were all shuffling toward the gates of Oktoberfest! NOTE: When attending Oktoberfest or any other major event that involves circus rides, beer, and pin-balling your way through crowds check your bags in a locker at the station (if you don't have a place to put them like I didn't) - I was easily the most obvious tourist backpacker - one 60 Litre pack in the back and one 30 Litre pack in the front. Three hours of walking took two days of mending for my hips and back...Fortunately I was able to return the next day sans backpacks to enjoy the event in its totality.

I was fortunate enough to have a schoolmate from Malawi, Africa now living in Munich with his wife. His parents were also visiting which was a treat because they too had lived in Malawi during the same time period and were close friends with my mother and father.

The following day we returned to Oktoberfest, it was the last day of the festival which my friend informed me was the best day to go because most of the tourists have left LOL. It was indeed a somewhat different crowd of people, more families and a little more civility. We managed to find a spot on a patio of one of the "tents". There are about ten tents, each holding between six and ten thousand people. I managed to consume one stein of beer and couldn't imagine drinking any more than that, however there were many who surpassed my quota by five or six times.

And if beer and pretzels are not to your liking there was a dessert tent that served up a wonderful menu full of chocolate and pastry masterpieces. Not to be outdone we decide it would be prudent to make our last stop there.

That evening we had a wonderful home cooked meal and talk about the "good old days" living in Malawi and it was early to bed for me so that I could catch an early flight to Mumbai, India.