oktoberfest 2012

Let's talk about Oktoberfest.

At the beginning of this month, Camille and I hopped on an 8 hour bus ride down to Munich to see what all the fuss was about. How crazy could a beer-carnival-festival be? Well this happens to be one of the oldest, most well-known, and largest festivals in the world. This year attracting around 6.4 million visitors who consumed approximately 7.3 million liters of beer (each beer is a liter, called a "Maß"). And at 10 Euro a beer, that is some serious consuming for a 16 day festival.

Camille and I went during the final weekend of the festival and had a splendid time! We tried our hand at Couchsurfing for the first time (if you don't know about it, look it up, it's rad). And despite our fear of having all of our organs harvested in the night thanks to multiple U.S. stereotypes about travel abroad and the begrudged sighs from our parents, everything went off without a hitch. We were originally going to stay with a student from Munich, Lydia, but due to a timing conflict, we ended up staying with her boyfriend, Ben, who is also a student, and meeting up with Lydia later in the weekend. They were both such splendid hosts!! The normal harshness associated with the German culture (at least in Berlin) was a complete 180 from the hospitality offered by our Bavarian friends. We got drinks at a local restaurant and were able to chat about so many interesting topics. Unfortunately, at this moment my iPhoto isn't working (a mystery of catastrophic impact while traveling around Europe) but I will post the adorable picture of Ben and Lydia after I figure out how to fix my iPhoto app. They were really just the cutest little couple and Camille and I are so grateful to have had a great place to stay and lovely people to show us around!

Now on to the festival: first things first, the traditional Bavarian garb for the event was, in our minds, essential to a true Oktoberfest visit; especially because 1. we look German enough and 2. we speak German enough (Camille more so than me). The dresses we bought are called dirndl (the men's are called lederhosen) and it was just too fun and hilarious to wear them around the city!

Dirndl and Maß beer at the Paulaner tent.

The real question on everyone's mind: How much beer did you drink?

Well Camille is more of a champion than I am (no surprises there) and on Sunday while at the Hippodrom tent, she finished about 5 liters over a 6 and a half hour time period. I was struggling after 1 liter, but by the end of the day had finished at least 2 and half liters (I cheated and bought a Radler for my second beer though). But there was no getting lost, separated, or losing of possessions so by the end of the weekend I would call it Jordan and Camille: 1, Oktoberfest: 0.

On both days that we visited the festival we met some really exciting people! The first evening we were seated at a table with 4 visiting Americans from Florida, a German couple and the boy's brother, and a little Bavarian man who spoke no English and as it turns out is a florist at the train station in Munich (how adorable is that?!). My terrible but coherent enough German was sufficient to small talk with the little Bavarian man and I really had the best time practicing and communicating. Everyone else at the table spoke English and the Americans from Florida didn't speak any German so it was an all-around good time of miscommunications, Prosting (traditional German "cheers," but taken more seriously), and merriment.

The second day (our only full day at Oktoberfest) we got to the tents at around 11 a.m. and sat down with a German family: 2 brothers in their 40's, the 10 year old son of one brother, and a cousin of one brother. At first they were not thrilled that we didn't speak much German, but by the end of the day we were all good buddies. I've never seen anyone drink as much beer as 3 grown German men. It's just incredible. The Hippodrom tent was amazing inside! So much color and music and cheering! We went home the next morning exhausted, broke, and entirely happy.

My final thoughts about Oktoberfest:

1. I would love to go again someday
2. German beer is the absolute best
3. YOU should go at least once in your life, you won't regret it!


Much love <3 p="p">

chapter three: the tipping point

Its those moments you live for; the til your head back, breathe deeply, and raise your hands up in exaltation kind of instances. Its moments of pause and retrospective understanding; happiness, contentment, excitement, completion; feeling full and hopeful and distinctly, nearly indescribably, alive.  

I will be the first to admit that I thought I was over my head when I stepped off the plane in Germany over a month ago. I couldn't read or communicate or understand or pick up the phone to call anyone. Its a unique kind of loneliness to squirm at the thought of ordering coffee or asking for directions. Of course I employed my favorite and most resiliently tested trick taught lovingly to me by my high school mock trial coach: "confidence hides all sins," or less eloquently, fake it until you make it. And it has yet to fail me, even in Berlin. 

Its impossible not to love this view.

Last weekend I was sitting on the train watching the last brisk days of September hustle past when my friend turned to me and said, with some relief, "I actually love this city." Huh. After weeks of overwhelming adjustments, fearsome exploration, and the busiest of busy days, I had only previously been thinking about how the babbling of the city was enough to knock you off your feet. I exchanged glances with her and said, "you know, yesterday I don't think I loved Berlin, but today, I love this city too."

It is a paradigm shift when you hang a piece of your heart somewhere. 

On Friday night, contrary to my usual snuggling up in wool socks and tea, I went out with Camille and Stephanie to a little mexican restaurant (where I was carded twice..who gets carded in Berlin??), then to an Oktoberfest celebration in downtown Berlin, and then to an Irish Pub. If you've never tried a Bailey's-colada, I highly recommend it both for the humor of ordering such a funny drink and for the quirky taste. We met up with some friends at fake Oktoberfest, and then before we knew it were on a walk to The Oscar Wilde Irish Pub. Camille and I almost immediately signed up for the karaoke that was happening and ended the night with a beautiful rendition of Wannabe by the Spice Girls. The striking level of globalization is notable here: to be singing a British song, in an Irish Pub, in the middle of Berlin, with a group of American students. In a word: fabulous. 

Fake Oktoberfest, Berlin

Camille and our classmate, Dan, at the Irish Pub
in Berlin (how do you like that cameo Dan?!)

  And although it was not a particularly crazy or outlandish evening, it was the first time, really since landing here, that I felt completely content.

The feeling has continued into this week, which happens to be midterm week. Thankfully for the sake of my painful senioritis, the tests have been easy. I have one more in a few hours (totally not blogging to procrastinate) and then the week is practically over! Tomorrow (Oktober 3rd) is the anniversary of German Reunification and is thus a national holiday and then Thursday I have German class until noon. After that I am hopping on a bus to Munich for Oktoberfest and then jumping on a plane to Belgium and then London for our midterm break. I can't believe the semester is already halfway over!!

In other news, I had the chance to see the finish and bits and pieces of the Berlin Marathon of Sunday. It was spectacular! I am so inspired to revisit Germany someday and run it! Any of the fab five races; New York, Chicago, London, Boston, and Berlin would be fantastic. Talk about motivation. Camille and I searched for these wonderful lakes we had heard about and they are gorgeous! I can't wait to run here more (to offset the pastry and chocolate intake afforded by German food). 

Krumme Lanke Lake--my new favorite running spot!

Finish line of the Berlin Marathon through Brandenburger Tor

And finally I would like to end this post with two things: 1. a picture of the jacket that literally every female in the entire city is wearing right now. Its insane how popular this same jacket with this cut and color and synch waist is. And 2. a meme that my younger cousin, Joseph, sent me recently and I thought it was great! Thanks for the smile cuz!

The most popular jacket ever.

The beautiful German language.

 I'm sure I will have a million pictures to share after this upcoming week of travel! Until then, stay beautiful my friends.