Munich, Germany’s 200th Anniversay of Oktoberfest

by Gadling Staff on

Ten thousand people, all enjoying liter mugs flowing with fresh Paulaner beer, swayed and clapped, hooted and hollered and joined together to sing that traditional German song, “Sweet Home Alabama.” The lively Oom Pa Pa band churned it out in a way that Lynyrd Skynyrd would appreciate. Packed to the rafters, I spied an empty seat and grabbed it. Ah, now seated, I ordered a beer (there is only one kind – Oktoberfest) and watched the action.

Munich’s Oktoberfest is celebrating its 200th Anniversary as throngs keep piling into the Munich’s Theresienwiese, or festival grounds. Originally a wedding celebration for Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese, nearly 7.5 million people will visit the sixteen-day festival this year. Of the crowds, about 50% are locals, from Munich and Bavaria, but the rest come from elsewhere around Germany, Europe, the UK, USA and beyond. “This is something special,” said Thomas Klug, a Munich local, sitting with a few friends. “Oh yes, I come every year.” Klug will ride his bicycle home after his third liter and plans on being at work at 7:30 the next morning.

I wouldn’t bet on it; lots of habitually punctual Germans call in sick during Oktoberfest.

%Gallery-7107%Open from 11 AM to 11 PM, the festival ground is a blast, like a Beer Disneyland (… or “Beers-ny-land”) full of carnival attractions, thrill rides like a fair sized coaster and 13-story drop zone, food stalls, kiddie attraction and other sorts of family fun. The various beer halls line the sides, all representing a Munich brewery. (There are 13.) Everyone has a favorite for various reasons. Some attract a younger crowd, some older and less frenetic, while still others may offer different culinary specialties. Oh yeah, they serve food too! Fresh and hot Hendl or roasted chicken is very popular — and tasty. The service can vary from crisp at the Hacker-Pschorr brewery to very slow at Augustina.

“It’s amazing how good a tuba can sound after a few beers.”

Standing on benches, sometimes for long periods, most of the patrons are friendly and — despite the beer and crowds — it is a very peaceful scene. People come to drink fresh beer and have fun. “It’s amazing how good a tuba can sound after a few beers,” said Tom Carroll visiting from Maryland. He’s right, and in fact this is when the dorky tuba player from the high school marching band finally gets some respect. At a break, the tuba player pulled out a fifteen foot long Alpine horn and played it jauntily. It sounded like an immense trombone. His short-brimmed, country hat sported a fluffy feather in the side, rising about ten inches into the air. The crowd roared, he smiled and bowed slightly after his short performance. He then picked up his beer.

Many women – of all ages wear the traditional dirndl dresses (think Swiss Miss) with frilly white blouses blue or red skirts. Revealing and busty they usually look lovely in these outfits, with the exception of the ugly “Mary Jane” type shoes. Men on the other hand wear lederhosen – brown leather pants with suspenders. The most common type ties off at the knee – supposedly to keep the critters out. There is also a cross-section belt connecting the suspenders in the front that often sports a family crest or city logo. Underneath they wear a two colored checked flannel shirt, most often red and white or blue and white. Some wear vests, usually green, and white or cream colored socks pulled up high. Suede loafers or short work boots complete the ensemble. Small shops as well as large department stores in Munich sell proper Oktoberfest gear running anywhere from $100 – $300 for an entire outfit. (Makes a great Halloween costume back home!) There are also some used clothing stores around town.

Still many Oktoberfest participants wear otherwise normal clothing without a problem. “This is fantastic, there’s nothing like this in England,” said Tony visiting from Ipswich England. Now they are singing “Sweet Caroline,” Ha, time for another beer…

Previously: Arriving at Munich’s Oktoberfest

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Bob Ecker is a Napa, California based travel writer/photographer providing worldwide magazines and newspapers with compelling travel, hospitality, wine, culinary, skiing, film and innovative feature content. He is constantly on the go, traveling the world, unearthing new stories and uncorking emerging regions. He is current Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) member and former President of the Bay Area Travel Writers (BATW).

Ryanair and Easyjet passengers told “you can fly home, but not with your bags”

by Scott Carmichael on

Earlier this week, 10 million Spanish workers went on strike to protest changes to workers rights and pensions. As usual, the strike shut down airports, forcing most European air carriers to cancel their flights. Once the strike was over, it took several days for things to get back to normal.

As airlines struggled to get enough planes back to Spain to pick up passengers, both Ryanair and Easyjet had a bad message for their customers – you can fly with us, but you can’t bring your luggage with you.

Most of the passengers were given absolutely no warning about this, while others only got a few hours notice. As tired vacationers struggled to find ways to get their possessions sent home, others had to give up and just leave their things at their hotels, without the chance of ever seeing them again.

One passenger left over $1,500 worth of clothes in Gran Canaria, a very quick way to completely spoil what was supposed to be a fun vacation. As is becoming common with low cost carriers, they showed that they really don’t care by saying little more than “sorry for the inconvenience”.

Travel warning for Europe–U.S. government asks citizens to be on alert

by Sean McLachlan on

The U.S. government will issue a travel warning today for its citizens going to Europe. The warning is in response to intelligence regarding plans by terrorists to launch Mumbai-style commando attacks in European cities.

The attacks in Mumbai in 2008 were carried out by small groups of heavily armed terrorists who attacked several spots in the city simultaneously. They killed at least 173 people and injured hundreds more. US and foreign intelligence officials say that Al-Qaeda is planning similar attacks in the UK, France, and Germany. Details of the plans were leaked to the press last week. Nobody has been arrested but officials say several European citizens of Asian origin are under surveillance.

The travel warning, which is not as serious as a travel advisory, will tell U.S. citizens of the heightened threat level and request them to be extra vigilant when visiting Europe. No specific countries will be named in the advisory.

So how best to deal with warning? It’s impossible to know where terrorism will strike next, and these vague reports from anonymous officials don’t really clear things up. For some good safety advice check out this post by former Gadling blogger Abha Malpani, who was in Mumbai at the time of the attacks.

[Image courtesy U.S. Navy]

The Adventure Racing World Championship begins today

by Kraig Becker on

The Adventure Racing World Championship gets underway today in Spain, where 53 coed teams of four will begin a six day, 450 mile non-stop race across some of the most challenge terrain in all of Europe.The incredibly demanding sport requires that the athletes master multiple disciplines while balancing their sleep and eating schedule to maximize their performance out on the course over days of racing.

For those not familiar with adventure racing, the sport is one of the most challenging endurance activities in the world. Races vary in length from a few hours to a few days, with teams of between two and four competitors covering sections of the course on foot, mountain bike, and kayak. Typically the racers must navigate through checkpoints that are often hidden in remote areas, requiring them to not only read maps, but plot the fastest course through the wilderness between those checkpoints. Occasionally races will mix in other disciplines as well, with climbing, rappelling, inline skating, and paddle boarding being popular options.

One of the more challenging aspects of adventure racing is that the races are often non-stop, with teams racing for hours, or even days without much rest. Because of this aspect of the sport, knowing when and where to sleep plays a huge role in the overall strategy for the event. Because the racers often go for long periods of time without sleep, they’ve been known to hallucinate while out on the course. This occurs often enough that it has spawned the term the “Sleep Monsters” as a result.

This week’s AR World Championships are expected to take the fastest teams approximately 4 days to complete, with slower teams arriving as much as two days later. Over the course of that time, they’ll be required to navigate through 22 checkpoints and contend with more than 68,000 feet of vertical gain along the way. Did I mention that this sport was demanding?

While most of these racers are unknown to the casual sports fan, they are amongst the most amazing endurance athletes on the planet. Their skills and conditioning will be on display all week long, with updates and online tracking allowing fans to follow the action at home.

Campout! Carolina take place Oct. 8-9

by Kraig Becker on

The 4th annual Campout! Carolina is schedule to take place next weekend, October 8 and 9, throughout North Carolina, as thousands of outdoors enthusiasts head to a variety of campsites to enjoy the fall season. The event is organized each year to encourage the state’s residents, and visitors alike, to enjoy North Carolina’s environmental attractions by pitching a tent and turning off all the unnecessary electrical items for a couple of evenings.

Participants are encouraged to camp anywhere, including their own backyard or in a state park. All registered campers are automatically entered into a drawing to win some great gear, including a tent and other supplies, as well as a $50 gift certificate from REI. The company will also be providing gear for campers to use free of charge as well. Additionally, Dick’s Sporting Goods will be hosting a photo contest in which they’ll also be giving away a $50 gift card.

The Campout! Carolina website has a host of ideas for what to do while roughing it in the tent, with suggestions like taking a nature walk, telling ghost stories, and going on a scavenger hunt. They’ve even posted some fun recipes and a link to free star charts for checking out the night sky.

Last year more than 5500 people took part in this event, and the organizer of the campout, EarthShare North Carolina, is hoping to beat that number this year. If you live in, or around, North Carolina, plan on sleeping in a tent next week to celebrate!

[Photo credit: Campout! Carolina via Flickr]