Prost!

Me and three friends have been planning our long-awaited trip to Munich for Oktoberfest for almost six months. We arrived Thursday evening for the last weekend of Oktoberfest.

Tired and hungry, we hopped on the tram from our Airbnb and headed to the famous Hofbrau Haus for a warm meal (Munich is musch colder than Rome). I had cheesy spätzle and my friends enjoyed a popular white sausage dish. Yum.

The Hofbrau Haus, although touristy, had a really fun atmosphere (10/10 would recommend). We saw waitresses carrying 8 or 10 steins at a time. There was a live band playing throughout the night and long tables that different groups shared with each other. Talking to the people I met, I was surprised by the number of tourists who camped for Oktoberfest. Not my style.

having fun at the Hofbrau Haus on Thursday after a long day of travel

The next morning we took a walk (and maybe got Starbucks) from our neighborhood on a quest to find some dirndls (traditonal Bavarian costume consisting of a dress, blouse, and apron) on our way to Oktoberfest. We ended up getting a good deal at a department store for €39.

My friend Megan and I outside the Hofbrau Haus

Marienplatz

On our walk we walked past Marienplatz which is the central square in the city. We didn't see the Glockenspiel on the hour but the architecture of the building was amazing, especially with the flowers in the windowsills.

Inside the Hofbrau tent

We spent our first (and second) day inside the Hofbrau Haus tent. Coming into Oktoberfest with very little previous exposure to German culture (although I grew up in Cincinnati), I was surprised by both the size of the tents and the friendliness of everyone we met.

On Saturday we participated in an "American college student" tradition and arrived at the tents early to be there when the doors opened at 9am. There was a mad dash for tables but what is better than a giant pretzel and huge mug of cold beer for breakfast? While this early start made for a long day, my friends and I had such a great time overall that we agreed we would come back for an Oktoberfest reunion some time in the next few years.

Couldn't imagine going on this trip with anyone else!