Oktoberfest Munich

Arriving in Munich at nine in the morning, none of us had slept in at least 24 hours. Somehow though, we weren’t very tired. A.J. and I changed into our traditional German clothing – much to the amusement of our American, Turkish and Croatian travel buddies – and we jumped into the flow of people heading toward Oktoberfest.

Prost!

 The grounds were eerily empty – we planned to arrive so early because we heard it would be packed. It didn’t take long to figure out that there were already tens of thousands of people there – they were just sitting down in tents. By tent, I don’t mean the large canvas-covered structure that immediately comes to mind. These tents are permanent structures that can hold up to 10,000 people. They are beautifully decorated and, surprising clean. The tents are sponsored by local breweries that have brewing facilities within the city of Munich. Sometimes the breweries will sponsor more than one tent. We began in one of Paulaner’s tents – my favorite beer.

You sit down, and it goes without saying that you will order a liter. There is a band playing German music and drinking songs and when a song is played that the crowd likes, then everyone stands up on the table, then you lift your beer and sing. The energy in the room helped me to stay awake J I didn’t feel out of place wearing my dirndl at all – I would say over half of the people in the tents were dressed in traditional German clothing. We stopped by two other tents, then spent some time walking around outside. The area outside of the tents is very much like a church festival on steroids. There are countless places to buy food and drinks. There is a section devoted to rides with roller coasters – I think this area is bigger than Coney Island. By the time we got outside, it was much more crowded, but it was still fun to walk around and buy a few souvenirs.

We left early – around four in the afternoon – so who knows what Oktoberfest is like after dark. But contrary to popular opinion, I had a fantastic time at Oktoberfest and would love to go back sometime.

Hallstadt

The city as seen from our boat ride

  Nestled deep in the Austrian Alps in the Salzkammergut region is a town called Hallstadt. World-renowned for its lake and mountain views, Hallstadt is a place rich in beauty and history. There is no easy way to get there – it took two hours for our large tour bus to weave around the steep mountains and lakeshores. The view as we pulled into the town was breathtaking. Hallstadt is home to only 900 people and is built at the base of a large salt mountain.

We took a boat ride around the lake then walked through the city with our lovely Austrian guide – an eighty year old woman who spoke no English but had a terrific sense of humor. The main square is very small, but also very beautiful. The cobblestone walkway, small fountain and ivy-covered buildings are consistent with the picturesque beauty. The town has two churches – one Catholic, one Evangelical – and both are adorned with beautiful wood and art works created by a nearby art school. Everything about the village is just as organic and poetic. Hallstadt is vaguely reminiscent of the Amish lifestyle; the inhabitants are clearly Austrian, but they put so much effort into sustaining the uniqueness of their lifestyle.

Creepy skull room

There is also a partially beautiful and partially gross tradition there. Because of a shortage of grave space and money, the people of Hallstadt established a system for handling their dead. Originally the dead are buried, but after 15 years or so, the remains are dug up and the skulls are put into the “Karner Haus.” All of the skulls in the house are painted with the name of the deceased plus other information usually found on a tombstone – including a wreath of flowers or ivy. I must say, it was the creepiest room I’ve ever been in.

For more photos, click here.

Post Number 1 - Welcome to Linz

I wanted to start the blog right away - even though I don’t have much to write.

Linz is an absolutely beautiful city and I’m so glad I decided to come. Classes don’t start for another two and a half weeks, so right now I’m taking about three hours of German a day, plus attending many informational sessions. The great thing is, there is very little homework and a lot of free time, so we have a chance to adjust. Between the inexpensive grocery store down the street and the many cafeterias on campus and in the dorm, I’ve been very well fed. No worries though, I think I’ve walked at least five miles every day.

Since classes haven’t started, the only people in the dorm and on campus are those who need to take intensive German, a.k.a. other exchange students. We’ve also spent time with our buddies, most of whom are locals from Linz. There have been a few events, and we’ve had such a great time! All of the exchange students are fun, adventurous and jet-lagged so we’ve had some interesting, slap-happy nights.

(My dorm – Julius RaabHeim. It's the big one.)

My dorm is very nice. For you UC people, it's almost Turner-like, but without the common area. I live in a single within a three-person suite; I have my own bedroom but I share a bathroom and kitchen with another girl from UC and a girl from Poland. Eventually I may start cooking, but the kitchen is small, and there is a cafeteria downstairs J

This weekend, we’ll be visiting the town Hallstadt on Saturday and hopefully going up to Oktoberfest on Sunday. *Fingers crossed that the trains don’t sell out.*

Bis später!