And Outside The Rain Fell...

Munich!!! Oktoberfest. Yoo-hoo. Being a teetotaller, I have little idea why I am so excited to visit this beer fest in the centre of Bavarian Germany, but having now done so, I can say that Yoo-hoo all over again.

Reaching Munich at a comfortable 11pm, doing our routine searches (almost in order - search for Boingo, Luggage Lockers, City maps, tourist information centre and Subway - it reminds me of Hermione casting protective spells outside their tent while on exile). Doing the usual, we encountered a very rude Tourist information guide - a chap who spoke in monosyllables, pointed to a 0.3 euro map every time we asked a question and seemed to say, "Oktoberfest. Why bother with anything else". Walking a few hops across Munich and encountering tall, gothic bell towers, we reached the fest grounds. And oh, what festivities!

The entrance we took had super neurotic rides everywhere- being plunged from a 13 storey tower, having your body twisted and turned like you are in a washing machine or being hung upside down in a weird position several feet in the air, it made my heart skips several several beats. I wanted to be on them! But probably not now. Not now.

Next - water. We need water that did not cost 3.5 Euros to a litre, and walked around a little of Munich trying to figure out where we could. An evangelical charity came to our rescue finally, with the volunteers (who worked with people in Africa) allowing us to fill our bottles.

Our thirsts quenched, we returned to the fest. And that's when we encountered the "tents". Temples of debauchery, they would put Bacchus and Dionysus to shame, such was the revelry and merrymaking.

Sporting local beer brands, and each tent having its unique, distinctive charm, we hopped around, dancing to the loud German music, watching people go absolutely crazy with their kegs of beer. It is a place no mother would like her son to be at, but weirdly, I saw that entire families came here together. Grandfathers, father, sons, and their respective girls. They were all decked in traditional Bavarian clothes - knee length trousers strapped to the shoulders for men with white shirts and wacky caps. The women were in frocks with plunging necklines, their hair done in pig tails and a blush of red on their cheeks. It was a way of life here, much like our Dusshera or the Gujarthi Garba, an annual tradition of sorts.

Beer flowed in huge litre high tumblers, and a kind old family allowed us to watch the festivities from their table. And oh, what mirth! Even being teetotallers, we could join in the fun, humming to unknown german songs and dancing on chairs, getting photographed with complete strangers and watch people go totally "Talli". It was so crazy; I knew we had done the right thing taking this diversion to Munich.

Affection flew between couples, and it could get rather embarrassing even for us at times! Ha-ha. It was pseudo drunk love all around, what with old men flirting about with young girls.

The "temples" were decked completely in finery, and each different in its own way, probably reflecting the traditions of the brewery itself. With mascots as hungry lions or gremlins, stud horses or traditional German farmers, they all charmed in their own way. The massive tents were football field sized, with a few tables reserved for those who would pay a premium for being at their favourite brewery's tent, the rest filled with merry hoppers. Most came in huge groups, all dressed for the occasion and laughing and partying boisterously.

Leaving the crazy fun temporarily, and wanting to watch it once again at night, we headed back to station. We still had to decide what we were doing for the night- Munich was sold out, anything available would be far too expensive, all overnight international trains were full, and we could find absolutely no connection out for the night. Thankfully, Munich station never shut, and resigned to the pleasure of spending another night at the station, we grabbed our customary subway, and headed for the sub lines, which were now free! We went across to Marinetplatz, climbing the steep St. Peter's Church spire for a euro, getting a spectacular view of the city. Bells struck here at odd hours all day, sometimes in tandem, mostly not. Watching the setting sun, we could spot the Munich Olympic stadium, the Bayern München dome, several church spires and even the first lights from the Oktober fest.

Getting down again, we walked about a bit, covering fantastic unmarked buildings on the streets, got a fantastic bargain at Pizza Hut for their margarita pizzas (okay, I admit it, we shamelessly begged for a discount. The kind chap almost threw 40% off on the price!), and returned to the Station catching up with Josen and Rex from Wimwi. Both of them are always a pleasure being around with, and they gave us company to the October fest again, this time in lights. We soon crossed paths with what seemed like half of Wimwi - Ankur, Mohit, Abhiroop and Jhoomer, and we also let out our customary “ZigZag” tempo shouts there in the grounds. For once, we were the ones shouting. It felt good being back with Wimwi crowd, and another tent later, we took a walk around the park. Strewn with bits of glass and crazy drunk people, I knew I’d probably never come here again, but I loved the place while I was here, if it was only for the completely different experience.

Meanwhile, out of the blue, we made plans to head out to Koblenz for the night. We could at least spend the night in those fantastic ICE trains, and see a new place while we were at it. Heading back to station, we had apples, filled water and headed out to the platform to board our train.
Germany will be fun when we return. For now, settling the hopelessly complicated expense accounts and putting a tired exhausted body to sleep.