A space at the tables was premium, gold dust. The ‘Tents’ had been booked for a year. For our group of six, booking a table of ten did not seem practical and the information on the net was overwhelming and confusing. We will go with the flow, we decided. And here we were just outside the big tent of Augustiner Festhalle, the music and hollering floating out from within, the decorations lighting up the autumn evening. The tables outside are the next best thing and finding one for ourselves around 7 pm without a booking was like winning a lottery.
The waiter arrived with two gigantic mugs filled with frothy golden beer and plonked them on our table and asked if we wanted more. Unsure we stuck to two to start with. My friends prefer wine and I am teetotal. But starting off with a mug or two seemed to be the norm. Why else would one be at Oktoberfest? After ordering our various combos of sausages, mash, meat ball stews and bread- we settled down to drinking our beer. It was surprisingly mild and fruity. It could even pass for a fizzy fruit drink. Even I ended up taking more than a sip!
The tables around us were getting raucous by the minute. Traditional German songs (at least we think they were) were being thumped to rhythm on the wood. Not to be beaten, we started with popular Bollywood numbers. Good food, good drink, good friends, music, lights, and crowds without a care in the world- this is worth living for.
We had landed at Munich the day before- Saturday the 21st of September 2019. The weather was lovely and we made the best of it by doing a day trip to Fussen, to see Neuschwanstein Castle and getting that iconic ‘trip to Munich’ pic. We arrived at our accommodations late at night and thoroughly tired but satisfied.
Over the next two days we would take in a combination of the festive grounds of Oktoberfest, shop in Marienplatz, take in the aromas of the Victuals market, and gape at dirndl and lederhosen. But here are some of our highlights:
The Traditional costume and hunters’ parade- 22 September, Sunday
The traditional costume and hunters’ parade has taken place every year since 1950, always on the first Sunday of the Wiesn. And so it was starting at 10 am on Sunday, September 22, 2019, hunting clubs, historic costume groups, bands and flag wavers paraded through Munich city centre to the Theresienwiese. A highlight of the Wiesn opening!
The route:
Maximilianstraße — Residenzstraße — Odeonsplatz/Feldherrnhalle — Ludwigstraße (as far as Galeriestraße) — Briennerstraße — across the Amiraplatz — Kardinal-Faulhaber-Straße — Promenadeplatz — Pacellistraße — Lenbachplatz — Karlsplatz/Stachus — Sonnenstraße — turn around at Josephspitalstraße — Sonnenstraße — Schwanthalerstraße — Paul-Heyse-Straße — Kaiser-Ludwig-Platz — Schubertstraße — Esperantoplatz
My top tip for the parade, thanks to TripAdvisor, was to find a place on Schwanthalerstraße and we were not disappointed. The start and end of the parade is likely to have more crowds. However on Schwanthalerstraße, we had clear views of the parade without any jostling. We were well positioned right in front of a McDonalds which could provide periods of respite if one wanted a drink or a short sit down. We took the metro down to Sendlinger Tor and Schwanthalerstraße is a short walk away.
The parade was around two hours and a bit long but we stuck out the whole of it and could take plenty of pics and videos. The festive atmosphere is fun and it struck me how much Oktoberfest is a family thing and a cultural affair, more than guzzling gallons of beer. (In fact I had visited Munich some years ago and had heard about Oktoberfest then but had never thought about visiting then. Why would a teetotaller want to come to a beer fest? But I am glad I realised my mistake. But I think to attend Oktoberfest and understand what it is about; it has got to be the Munich one and not the duplicates that have sprung up. Good luck to the beer lovers though.)
The since Schwanthalerstraße is somewhere in the middle of the route, there is a build up to the parade approaching. The drums come nearer, the people are waving, a ripple of anticipation undulates through the crowd. Even the police cars and motorcycles which clear the road ahead have attitude! There was one police officer who insisted on applause and the crowd willingly obliged. This is the mascot of Munich, the Münchner Kindl, the monk in black and yellow that they have on their coat of arms. Over the centuries the monk has drifted into a “young child” and then into a young woman. Her horse was ornate and huge. Many more glitzy horses followed. And this gentleman rubs soot lovingly on noses and faces. Doesn’t my friend look absolutely cute As I said- absolutely great view point on Schwanthalerstraße. The parade was a colourful spectacle of lederhosen, dirndls with slightly different regional styles, elaborate hairdos, massive horses, flower laden carriages and sweet children. As I said- Oktoberfest is a family affair. Marienplatz
Thoroughly hungry after the parade we headed to the heart of Munich- Marienplatz. We strolled around until we found the Glockenspiel. The dolls that come out on a parade on the hour, seem to have limited timings nowadays and we were disappointed when they did not show up at 2 pm. However, too hungry to think now, we found a café just within the courtyard of the city hall and ordered indulgent desserts and coffee. Suddenly we heard music from the square and looked out to realise that people were standing in a crowd straining their necks upwards. Glockenspiel had come to life! We would return to Marienplatz time and again during our stay for more shopping and food. The pedestrian zone between Karlsplatz and Marienplatz is a crowded area with numerous shops and restaurants. Not far from here is also the victuals market with plenty of fresh produce and a farmers’ market. The atmosphere is different to Marienplatz with its more posh shops and glitzy cafes. We bought a lunch here with various Middle Eastern spreads and flatbread on one of the days we were there and had a messy finger meal on the threshold of a closed shop! We clambered on to the flanks and dived into salad, yoghurt, dips-all washed with spicy flatbread. See the green shop with the black flanks behind us? That was our lunch place.
The Oktoberfest grounds
Now this is what we were really here for. The grounds overwhelm your senses when you enter. People were being a bit crazy with the alcohol and turkey hats with clicking legs seemed to be in fashion. But it was all good clean fun. All the big brewery houses and smaller ones put up elaborate tents and even if you do not have a bench reserved, it is worth peering into the tent to soak up the atmosphere, witness the singing and dancing and looking at the various kinds of décor.
Oktoberfest grounds have two main areas- the one with the tents and the one with the rides which are getting more and more elaborate every year. Me and one of my adventurous friends tried the ‘runaway train in an abandoned mine’ theme ride and had some minutes of hair-raising, speed racing, twirling around in the dark, screaming fun. (I remember something very similar in Disneyland, Paris). Other than the benches of Augustiner Festhalle, on our second day to the festival grounds, we found a tiny revolving café which gave great views of the grounds. We managed to mingle with the locals on the crowded benches (you squeeze in where you can in Oktoberfest) and gathered that it is a fortnight of fun. Locals go to work in dirndls and lederhosen and come straight to the festival grounds to pass the evening and much of the night.
We had initially thought about buying dirndls but later gave up considering the costs of a good respectable one. But there are plenty of tourists in usual day to day clothes and it is better wearing usual clothes than a cheap dirndl. We did however stick to flared skirts and puffy sleeve blouses. Gives some of the feel without being out of place.
Practical points:
We flew from Birmigham Airport to Munich with Lufthansa.
Oktoberfest is situated closed to the U-Bahn station of Theresienwiese. Lines 4 and 5 both serve the station. The centrally located München Hauptbahnhof through which all metro lines cross through is a slightly longer walk, but not far off, perhaps 15 minutes or so from the Oktoberfest grounds.
Accommodation in Munich is expensive around Oktoberfest, so best booked far in advance. It would be practical to stay close to a metro station with easy links to Theresienwiese or Hauptbahnhof.
We used GPtents which was located on Oktoberfest-Camping München-Riem, which is one of the biggest and closest campings in Munich. The camping is serviced with clean toilets and hot showers, restaurant, small supermarket, electricity.
We took the underground train U2 Messestadt Ost (100 m from the camping), transferred to U5 Innsbrucker Ring and in few minutes would arrive at Theresienwiese (Oktoberfest).
Remember to take a really tiny bag into the Oktoberfest grounds, enough just to fit in your purse. Nothing else is allowed.
And just to finish off-pastry and a milky coffee in Bavaria. Food (and drink) is what defines a place.
And the one scene if I could keep a video in my heart would be of us drumming the tables of Augustiner Festhalle and singing ‘Jhooma chumma de de’ as our demure friend obliged to drain the last of our beer mugs.
12:07:00 PM {"id":868,"user_id":1,"title":"Oktoberfest- from the eyes of a teetotaller","slug":"oktoberfest-from-the-eyes-of-a-teetotaller","excerpt":"A space at the tables was premium, gold dust. The \u2018Tents\u2019 had been booked for a year. For our group of six, booking a table of ten did not seem practical and the information on the net was overwhelming and confusing. We will go with the flow, we decided. And here we were just outside the big tent of Augustiner Festhalle, the music and hollering floating out from within, the decorations lighting up the autumn evening. The tables outside are the next best thing and finding one for ourselves around 7 pm without a booking was like winning a lottery.","content":"<p><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/nandine.jpg\" \/><\/p>\r\n<pre class=\"tw-data-text tw-text-large XcVN5d tw-ta\" dir=\"ltr\" data-placeholder=\"Translation\"><strong><span lang=\"en\">Dr. Nandini Chakraborty, Leicester, UK<\/span><\/strong><\/pre>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A space at the tables was premium, gold dust. The \u2018Tents\u2019 had been booked for a year. For our group of six, booking a table of ten did not seem practical and the information on the net was overwhelming and confusing. We will go with the flow, we decided. And here we were just outside the big tent of Augustiner Festhalle, the music and hollering floating out from within, the decorations lighting up the autumn evening. The tables outside are the next best thing and finding one for ourselves around 7 pm without a booking was like winning a lottery.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The waiter arrived with two gigantic mugs filled with frothy golden beer and plonked them on our table and asked if we wanted more. Unsure we stuck to two to start with. My friends prefer wine and I am teetotal. But starting off with a mug or two seemed to be the norm. Why else would one be at Oktoberfest? After ordering our various combos of sausages, mash, meat ball stews and bread- we settled down to drinking our beer. It was surprisingly mild and fruity. It could even pass for a fizzy fruit drink. Even I ended up taking more than a sip!<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The tables around us were getting raucous by the minute. Traditional German songs (at least we think they were) were being thumped to rhythm on the wood. Not to be beaten, we started with popular Bollywood numbers. Good food, good drink, good friends, music, lights, and crowds without a care in the world- this is worth living for.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">We had landed at Munich the day before- Saturday the 21<sup>st<\/sup> of September 2019. The weather was lovely and we made the best of it by doing a day trip to Fussen, to see Neuschwanstein Castle and getting that iconic \u2018trip to Munich\u2019 pic. We arrived at our accommodations late at night and thoroughly tired but satisfied.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty1-450.jpg\" \/><br \/>Over the next two days we would take in a combination of the festive grounds of Oktoberfest, shop in Marienplatz, take in the aromas of the Victuals market, and gape at dirndl and lederhosen. But here are some of our highlights:<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>The Traditional costume and hunters\u2019 parade- 22 September, Sunday<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>The traditional costume and hunters\u2019 parade has taken place every year since 1950, always on the first Sunday of the Wiesn. And so it was starting at 10 am on Sunday, September 22, 2019, hunting clubs, historic costume groups, bands and flag wavers paraded through Munich city centre to the Theresienwiese. A highlight of the Wiesn opening!<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>The route:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>Maximilianstra\u00dfe \u2014 Residenzstra\u00dfe \u2014 Odeonsplatz\/Feldherrnhalle \u2014 Ludwigstra\u00dfe (as far as Galeriestra\u00dfe) \u2014 Briennerstra\u00dfe \u2014 across the Amiraplatz \u2014 Kardinal-Faulhaber-Stra\u00dfe \u2014 Promenadeplatz \u2014 Pacellistra\u00dfe \u2014 Lenbachplatz \u2014 Karlsplatz\/Stachus \u2014 Sonnenstra\u00dfe \u2014 turn around at Josephspitalstra\u00dfe \u2014 Sonnenstra\u00dfe \u2014 Schwanthalerstra\u00dfe \u2014 Paul-Heyse-Stra\u00dfe \u2014 Kaiser-Ludwig-Platz \u2014 Schubertstra\u00dfe \u2014 Esperantoplatz<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">My top tip for the parade, thanks to TripAdvisor, was to find a place on Schwanthalerstra\u00dfe and we were not disappointed. The start and end of the parade is likely to have more crowds. However on Schwanthalerstra\u00dfe, we had clear views of the parade without any jostling. We were well positioned right in front of a McDonalds which could provide periods of respite if one wanted a drink or a short sit down. We took the metro down to Sendlinger Tor and Schwanthalerstra\u00dfe is a short walk away.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The parade was around two hours and a bit long but we stuck out the whole of it and could take plenty of pics and videos. The festive atmosphere is fun and it struck me how much Oktoberfest is a family thing and a cultural affair, more than guzzling gallons of beer. (In fact I had visited Munich some years ago and had heard about Oktoberfest then but had never thought about visiting then. Why would a teetotaller want to come to a beer fest? But I am glad I realised my mistake. But I think to attend Oktoberfest and understand what it is about; it has got to be the Munich one and not the duplicates that have sprung up. Good luck to the beer lovers though.)<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The since Schwanthalerstra\u00dfe is somewhere in the middle of the route, there is a build up to the parade approaching. The drums come nearer, the people are waving, a ripple of anticipation undulates through the crowd. Even the police cars and motorcycles which clear the road ahead have attitude! There was one police officer who insisted on applause and the crowd willingly obliged.<br \/><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty2-450.jpg\" \/><br \/>This is the mascot of Munich, the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/M%C3%BCnchner_Kindl\">M\u00fcnchner Kindl<\/a>, the monk in black and yellow that they have on their coat of arms. Over the centuries the monk has drifted into a \u201cyoung child\u201d and then into a young woman. Her horse was ornate and huge. Many more glitzy horses followed.<br \/><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty3-450.jpg\" \/><br \/>And this gentleman rubs soot lovingly on noses and faces.<br \/><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty4-450.jpg\" \/><br \/>Doesn\u2019t my friend look absolutely cute<br \/><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty5-450.jpg\" \/><br \/>As I said- absolutely great view point on Schwanthalerstra\u00dfe.<br \/><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty6-450.jpg\" \/><br \/>The parade was a colourful spectacle of lederhosen, dirndls with slightly different regional styles, elaborate hairdos, massive horses, flower laden carriages and sweet children. As I said- Oktoberfest is a family affair.<br \/><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty7-450.jpg\" \/><br \/><strong>Marienplatz<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thoroughly hungry after the parade we headed to the heart of Munich- Marienplatz. We strolled around until we found the Glockenspiel. The dolls that come out on a parade on the hour, seem to have limited timings nowadays and we were disappointed when they did not show up at 2 pm. However, too hungry to think now, we found a caf\u00e9 just within the courtyard of the city hall and ordered indulgent desserts and coffee. Suddenly we heard music from the square and looked out to realise that people were standing in a crowd straining their necks upwards. Glockenspiel had come to life!<br \/><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty8-450.jpg\" \/><br \/>We would return to Marienplatz time and again during our stay for more shopping and food. The pedestrian zone between\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Karlsplatz_(Stachus)\">Karlsplatz<\/a>\u00a0and Marienplatz is a crowded area with numerous shops and restaurants. Not far from here is also the victuals market with plenty of fresh produce and a farmers\u2019 market. The atmosphere is different to Marienplatz with its more posh shops and glitzy cafes. We bought a lunch here with various Middle Eastern spreads and flatbread on one of the days we were there and had a messy finger meal on the threshold of a closed shop! We clambered on to the flanks and dived into salad, yoghurt, dips-all washed with spicy flatbread.<br \/><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty9-450.jpg\" \/><br \/>See the green shop with the black flanks behind us? That was our lunch place.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>The Oktoberfest grounds<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Now this is what we were really here for. The grounds overwhelm your senses when you enter. People were being a bit crazy with the alcohol and turkey hats with clicking legs seemed to be in fashion. But it was all good clean fun. All the big brewery houses and smaller ones put up elaborate tents and even if\u00a0 you do not have a bench reserved, it is worth peering into the tent to soak up the atmosphere, witness the singing and dancing and looking at the various kinds of d\u00e9cor.<br \/><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty10-450.jpg\" \/><br \/><br \/><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty11-450.jpg\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty12-450.jpg\" \/><br \/><br \/><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty13-450.jpg\" \/><br \/><br \/><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty14-450.jpg\" \/><br \/>Oktoberfest grounds have two main areas- the one with the tents and the one with the rides which are getting more and more elaborate every year. Me and one of my adventurous friends tried the \u2018runaway train in an abandoned mine\u2019 theme ride and had some minutes of hair-raising, speed racing, twirling around in the dark, screaming fun. (I remember something very similar in Disneyland, Paris). Other than the benches of Augustiner Festhalle, on our second day to the festival grounds, we found a tiny revolving caf\u00e9 which gave great views of the grounds. We managed to mingle with the locals on the crowded benches (you squeeze in where you can in Oktoberfest) and gathered that it is a fortnight of fun. Locals go to work in dirndls and lederhosen and come straight to the festival grounds to pass the evening and much of the night.<\/p>\r\n<p>We had initially thought about buying dirndls but later gave up considering the costs of a good respectable one. But there are plenty of tourists in usual day to day clothes and it is better wearing usual clothes than a cheap dirndl. We did however stick to flared skirts and puffy sleeve blouses. Gives some of the feel without being out of place.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Practical points:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>We flew from Birmigham Airport to Munich with Lufthansa.<\/p>\r\n<p>Oktoberfest is situated closed to the U-Bahn station of Theresienwiese. Lines 4 and 5 both serve the station. The centrally located M\u00fcnchen Hauptbahnhof through which all metro lines cross through is a slightly longer walk, but not far off, perhaps 15 minutes or so from the Oktoberfest grounds.<\/p>\r\n<p>Accommodation in Munich is expensive around Oktoberfest, so best booked far in advance. It would be practical to stay close to a metro station with easy links to Theresienwiese or Hauptbahnhof.<\/p>\r\n<p>We used GPtents which was located on Oktoberfest-Camping M\u00fcnchen-Riem, which is one of the biggest and closest campings in Munich. The camping is serviced with clean toilets and hot showers, restaurant, small supermarket, electricity.<\/p>\r\n<p>We took the underground train U2 Messestadt Ost (100 m from the camping), transferred to U5 Innsbrucker Ring and in few minutes would arrive at Theresienwiese (Oktoberfest).<\/p>\r\n<p>Remember to take a really tiny bag into the Oktoberfest grounds, enough just to fit in your purse. Nothing else is allowed.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty15-450.jpg\" \/><br \/>And just to finish off-pastry and a milky coffee in Bavaria. Food (and drink) is what defines a place.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">And the one scene if I could keep a video in my heart would be of us drumming the tables of Augustiner Festhalle and singing \u2018Jhooma chumma de de\u2019 as our demure friend obliged to drain the last of our beer mugs.<\/p>","content_html":"<p><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/nandine.jpg\"><\/p>\n<pre class=\"tw-data-text tw-text-large XcVN5d tw-ta\" dir=\"ltr\" data-placeholder=\"Translation\"><strong><span lang=\"en\">Dr. Nandini Chakraborty, Leicester, UK<\/span><\/strong><\/pre>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A space at the tables was premium, gold dust. The \u2018Tents\u2019 had been booked for a year. For our group of six, booking a table of ten did not seem practical and the information on the net was overwhelming and confusing. We will go with the flow, we decided. And here we were just outside the big tent of Augustiner Festhalle, the music and hollering floating out from within, the decorations lighting up the autumn evening. The tables outside are the next best thing and finding one for ourselves around 7 pm without a booking was like winning a lottery.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The waiter arrived with two gigantic mugs filled with frothy golden beer and plonked them on our table and asked if we wanted more. Unsure we stuck to two to start with. My friends prefer wine and I am teetotal. But starting off with a mug or two seemed to be the norm. Why else would one be at Oktoberfest? After ordering our various combos of sausages, mash, meat ball stews and bread- we settled down to drinking our beer. It was surprisingly mild and fruity. It could even pass for a fizzy fruit drink. Even I ended up taking more than a sip!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The tables around us were getting raucous by the minute. Traditional German songs (at least we think they were) were being thumped to rhythm on the wood. Not to be beaten, we started with popular Bollywood numbers. Good food, good drink, good friends, music, lights, and crowds without a care in the world- this is worth living for.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">We had landed at Munich the day before- Saturday the 21<sup>st<\/sup> of September 2019. The weather was lovely and we made the best of it by doing a day trip to Fussen, to see Neuschwanstein Castle and getting that iconic \u2018trip to Munich\u2019 pic. We arrived at our accommodations late at night and thoroughly tired but satisfied.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty1-450.jpg\"><br>Over the next two days we would take in a combination of the festive grounds of Oktoberfest, shop in Marienplatz, take in the aromas of the Victuals market, and gape at dirndl and lederhosen. But here are some of our highlights:<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Traditional costume and hunters\u2019 parade- 22 September, Sunday<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The traditional costume and hunters\u2019 parade has taken place every year since 1950, always on the first Sunday of the Wiesn. And so it was starting at 10 am on Sunday, September 22, 2019, hunting clubs, historic costume groups, bands and flag wavers paraded through Munich city centre to the Theresienwiese. A highlight of the Wiesn opening!<\/p>\n<p><strong>The route:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Maximilianstra\u00dfe \u2014 Residenzstra\u00dfe \u2014 Odeonsplatz\/Feldherrnhalle \u2014 Ludwigstra\u00dfe (as far as Galeriestra\u00dfe) \u2014 Briennerstra\u00dfe \u2014 across the Amiraplatz \u2014 Kardinal-Faulhaber-Stra\u00dfe \u2014 Promenadeplatz \u2014 Pacellistra\u00dfe \u2014 Lenbachplatz \u2014 Karlsplatz\/Stachus \u2014 Sonnenstra\u00dfe \u2014 turn around at Josephspitalstra\u00dfe \u2014 Sonnenstra\u00dfe \u2014 Schwanthalerstra\u00dfe \u2014 Paul-Heyse-Stra\u00dfe \u2014 Kaiser-Ludwig-Platz \u2014 Schubertstra\u00dfe \u2014 Esperantoplatz<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">My top tip for the parade, thanks to TripAdvisor, was to find a place on Schwanthalerstra\u00dfe and we were not disappointed. The start and end of the parade is likely to have more crowds. However on Schwanthalerstra\u00dfe, we had clear views of the parade without any jostling. We were well positioned right in front of a McDonalds which could provide periods of respite if one wanted a drink or a short sit down. We took the metro down to Sendlinger Tor and Schwanthalerstra\u00dfe is a short walk away.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The parade was around two hours and a bit long but we stuck out the whole of it and could take plenty of pics and videos. The festive atmosphere is fun and it struck me how much Oktoberfest is a family thing and a cultural affair, more than guzzling gallons of beer. (In fact I had visited Munich some years ago and had heard about Oktoberfest then but had never thought about visiting then. Why would a teetotaller want to come to a beer fest? But I am glad I realised my mistake. But I think to attend Oktoberfest and understand what it is about; it has got to be the Munich one and not the duplicates that have sprung up. Good luck to the beer lovers though.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The since Schwanthalerstra\u00dfe is somewhere in the middle of the route, there is a build up to the parade approaching. The drums come nearer, the people are waving, a ripple of anticipation undulates through the crowd. Even the police cars and motorcycles which clear the road ahead have attitude! There was one police officer who insisted on applause and the crowd willingly obliged.<br><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty2-450.jpg\"><br>This is the mascot of Munich, the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/M%C3%BCnchner_Kindl\">M\u00fcnchner Kindl<\/a>, the monk in black and yellow that they have on their coat of arms. Over the centuries the monk has drifted into a \u201cyoung child\u201d and then into a young woman. Her horse was ornate and huge. Many more glitzy horses followed.<br><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty3-450.jpg\"><br>And this gentleman rubs soot lovingly on noses and faces.<br><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty4-450.jpg\"><br>Doesn\u2019t my friend look absolutely cute<br><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty5-450.jpg\"><br>As I said- absolutely great view point on Schwanthalerstra\u00dfe.<br><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty6-450.jpg\"><br>The parade was a colourful spectacle of lederhosen, dirndls with slightly different regional styles, elaborate hairdos, massive horses, flower laden carriages and sweet children. As I said- Oktoberfest is a family affair.<br><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty7-450.jpg\"><br><strong>Marienplatz<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thoroughly hungry after the parade we headed to the heart of Munich- Marienplatz. We strolled around until we found the Glockenspiel. The dolls that come out on a parade on the hour, seem to have limited timings nowadays and we were disappointed when they did not show up at 2 pm. However, too hungry to think now, we found a caf\u00e9 just within the courtyard of the city hall and ordered indulgent desserts and coffee. Suddenly we heard music from the square and looked out to realise that people were standing in a crowd straining their necks upwards. Glockenspiel had come to life!<br><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty8-450.jpg\"><br>We would return to Marienplatz time and again during our stay for more shopping and food. The pedestrian zone between\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Karlsplatz_(Stachus)\">Karlsplatz<\/a>\u00a0and Marienplatz is a crowded area with numerous shops and restaurants. Not far from here is also the victuals market with plenty of fresh produce and a farmers\u2019 market. The atmosphere is different to Marienplatz with its more posh shops and glitzy cafes. We bought a lunch here with various Middle Eastern spreads and flatbread on one of the days we were there and had a messy finger meal on the threshold of a closed shop! We clambered on to the flanks and dived into salad, yoghurt, dips-all washed with spicy flatbread.<br><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty9-450.jpg\"><br>See the green shop with the black flanks behind us? That was our lunch place.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Oktoberfest grounds<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Now this is what we were really here for. The grounds overwhelm your senses when you enter. People were being a bit crazy with the alcohol and turkey hats with clicking legs seemed to be in fashion. But it was all good clean fun. All the big brewery houses and smaller ones put up elaborate tents and even if\u00a0 you do not have a bench reserved, it is worth peering into the tent to soak up the atmosphere, witness the singing and dancing and looking at the various kinds of d\u00e9cor.<br><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty10-450.jpg\"><br><br><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty11-450.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty12-450.jpg\"><br><br><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty13-450.jpg\"><br><br><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty14-450.jpg\"><br>Oktoberfest grounds have two main areas- the one with the tents and the one with the rides which are getting more and more elaborate every year. Me and one of my adventurous friends tried the \u2018runaway train in an abandoned mine\u2019 theme ride and had some minutes of hair-raising, speed racing, twirling around in the dark, screaming fun. (I remember something very similar in Disneyland, Paris). Other than the benches of Augustiner Festhalle, on our second day to the festival grounds, we found a tiny revolving caf\u00e9 which gave great views of the grounds. We managed to mingle with the locals on the crowded benches (you squeeze in where you can in Oktoberfest) and gathered that it is a fortnight of fun. Locals go to work in dirndls and lederhosen and come straight to the festival grounds to pass the evening and much of the night.<\/p>\n<p>We had initially thought about buying dirndls but later gave up considering the costs of a good respectable one. But there are plenty of tourists in usual day to day clothes and it is better wearing usual clothes than a cheap dirndl. We did however stick to flared skirts and puffy sleeve blouses. Gives some of the feel without being out of place.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Practical points:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We flew from Birmigham Airport to Munich with Lufthansa.<\/p>\n<p>Oktoberfest is situated closed to the U-Bahn station of Theresienwiese. Lines 4 and 5 both serve the station. The centrally located M\u00fcnchen Hauptbahnhof through which all metro lines cross through is a slightly longer walk, but not far off, perhaps 15 minutes or so from the Oktoberfest grounds.<\/p>\n<p>Accommodation in Munich is expensive around Oktoberfest, so best booked far in advance. It would be practical to stay close to a metro station with easy links to Theresienwiese or Hauptbahnhof.<\/p>\n<p>We used GPtents which was located on Oktoberfest-Camping M\u00fcnchen-Riem, which is one of the biggest and closest campings in Munich. The camping is serviced with clean toilets and hot showers, restaurant, small supermarket, electricity.<\/p>\n<p>We took the underground train U2 Messestadt Ost (100 m from the camping), transferred to U5 Innsbrucker Ring and in few minutes would arrive at Theresienwiese (Oktoberfest).<\/p>\n<p>Remember to take a really tiny bag into the Oktoberfest grounds, enough just to fit in your purse. Nothing else is allowed.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img src=\"\/storage\/app\/media\/NandiniChakraborty15-450.jpg\"><br>And just to finish off-pastry and a milky coffee in Bavaria. Food (and drink) is what defines a place.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">And the one scene if I could keep a video in my heart would be of us drumming the tables of Augustiner Festhalle and singing \u2018Jhooma chumma de de\u2019 as our demure friend obliged to drain the last of our beer mugs.<\/p>","published_at":"2020-09-30 12:07:00","published":1,"created_at":"2020-09-30 11:23:02","updated_at":"2020-09-30 14:52:22","metadata":null,"ginopane_blogtaxonomy_series_id":null,"seo_title":null,"seo_description":null,"seo_keywords":null,"canonical_url":null,"redirect_url":null,"robot_index":null,"robot_follow":null,"summary":"A space at the tables was premium, gold dust. The \u2018Tents\u2019 had been booked for a year. For our group of six, booking a table of ten did not seem practical and the information on the net was overwhelming and confusing. We will go with the flow, we decided. And here we were just outside the big tent of Augustiner Festhalle, the music and hollering floating out from within, the decorations lighting up the autumn evening. The tables outside are the next best thing and finding one for ourselves around 7 pm without a booking was like winning a lottery.","has_summary":true,"categories":[{"id":11,"name":"\u09ac\u09bf\u09a6\u09c7\u09b6\u09c7","slug":"travel-abroad","code":null,"description":"","parent_id":24,"nest_left":24,"nest_right":25,"nest_depth":1,"created_at":"2019-01-28 16:59:02","updated_at":"2019-02-12 14:15:34","url":"https:\/\/www.banglaworldwide.com\/category\/travel-abroad","pivot":{"post_id":868,"category_id":11}},{"id":24,"name":"\u09ad\u09cd\u09b0\u09ae\u09a3","slug":"travel","code":null,"description":"","parent_id":null,"nest_left":19,"nest_right":28,"nest_depth":0,"created_at":"2019-01-29 13:30:31","updated_at":"2019-02-12 14:15:34","url":"https:\/\/www.banglaworldwide.com\/category\/travel","pivot":{"post_id":868,"category_id":24}}],"featured_images":[{"id":1315,"disk_name":"5f74290d777b5809370212.jpg","file_name":"nandini_900.jpg","file_size":171490,"content_type":"image\/jpeg","title":null,"description":null,"field":"featured_images","sort_order":1315,"created_at":"2020-09-30 12:13:25","updated_at":"2020-09-30 12:13:30","path":"https:\/\/www.banglaworldwide.com\/storage\/app\/uploads\/public\/5f7\/429\/0d7\/5f74290d777b5809370212.jpg","extension":"jpg"}]} April 25th am 30 3:37am
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