Hallo! As one or two of you may know, I have just returned from the beautiful country of Germany. Munich, to be exact. To be even more specific, I just got back from the most incredible experience of my life: Oktoberfest. For those of you who aren't familiar with this tradition, it dates back over 200 years and is held for 16-18 days every fall. Currently there are 14 beer tents (I use the word "tent" quite loosely) which house approximately 5,000 people each. This year alone there were nearly 7 million people in attendance, who purchased 7.5 million liters of beer. At about €10 a piece, that is about €75,000,000 purchased in beer alone. Outstanding, no?
That being said, I will admit to embracing this pastime of enjoying a nice stein of beer (or two, or many) because it is more than just a silly carnival, it is the tradition for an entire culture. I met so many wonderful people, all of whom were so amazingly kind and welcoming. It may have just been the beer talking, but the friendliness of that place hit you like a wave the minute you walked in. It was intoxicating and you couldn't help but just smile and go with it.The most wonderful part of this, by far, was being reunited with my incredible sorority sisters, many of whom I haven't seen since the end of last semester. We are all traveling and embracing these cultures. We came to Oktoberfest from England, Spain, Italy and France to see what this was all about, and I don't think a single one of us had any regrets about taking that trip.
Thankfully we only had a few scrapes and bruises the whole weekend, the worst of which was six stitches in the bottom of a friend's foot due to some stray broken glass. We suffered through the chilly German nights, with nothing to protect us from the elements except for a tent and a few cheap sleeping bags. We even survived not having cell phones. Shocking, coming from girls who are all more than addicted to technology in the states.
We lived, we laughed, we loved. We reveled in the celebrations and laughed a lot. You just can't help it. It's Oktoberfest.
If you ever are presented the opportunity to go, don't hesitate. No regrets.
