Oktoberfest 2007

After a very long drive from Mainz to Munich, we experienced Oktoberfest for the first time with a group of friends. The whole atmosphere was definitely something to experience. Many people were dressed in traditional garb and everyone was having a good time. The fest grounds were huge...42 hectacres (almost 104 acres) and were packed with people, rides, and stands.

We took the U-bahn from our hotel to the fest grounds around 10:00 am and made our way to the Schottenhamel tent. After pushing our way through the crowd to get as close to the doors as possible, we discovered about 30 minutes later that they were overbooked and wouldn't be opening the doors that day. So we pushed our way back through the crowd and ended up at the beer garden outside the Hacker-Festzelt tent. There weren't any available tables so we all split up for a bit in search of beer. Luckily, at this particular tent, they didn't care if you weren't sitting, and they walked around yelling "Bier, Bier, Bier, Bier!" and we just had to follow them get our mass (1 liter) of beer.

Eventually, our group of about 14 people took over a table that some Brits had been occupying. We had it all to ourselves for a bit, but they ended up taking it back from us later on in the afternoon. While at the table, we had a great time laughing with friends and with others that were partying nearby. We saw a lot of cheering, singing, and chanting. We saw people standing on tables, chugging their mass of beer, and eventually passing out... basically we experienced a frat party at a whole new level. It was fantastic!

We had a blast drinking and eating with friends for most of the afternoon and look forward to next year!

Oktoberfest 2007