Oktoberfest in Munich

Another must-do event on the European calendar is Oktoberfest in Munich. It seems like half the Australians living o/s go there...and so we had no trouble assembling a table at the Hofbrau tent for the Sunday afternoon.

We decided to make a weekend of it by heading out to Munich on Saturday morning, and spent the morning wandering through the surprisingly impressive old town of Munich. It was quite unlike what I'd been expecting, and I can see why it is ranked in the top-10 cities in the world to live in. With great public transport, lots of green spaces, beautiful old buildings and tasty food and drink, it would be worth visiting even if it didn't hold one of the world's biggest parties every year.

Mid-afternoon we headed out to Oktoberfest to pick up our tickets, and got a phone call from Amid, Bec, Victoria, Nat and Alex to say that they were on their way out. After a quick go on the fairground rides to kill the time while we waited (we figured that it made more sense to do that before we'd had a drink rather than after) we set about finding a table.

Finding a table is, as it turns out, the key factor in having a successful time at Oktoberfest. Each of the eight or so breweries in Munich run a tent, filled with bench tables (with seating for up to 10,000 in some). You can't get served, and will quickly be moved on by security, unless you're sitting down. There are two options for drinks – the beer from the brewery who runs the tent, or a Rattler, which is half beer, half lemonade; there's not a lot of green in the food options (but there is a lot of great meat, particularly the wurst).

Amazingly, having walked in the out door for the beer garden area at the Pauliner tent, a group got up and left their table right in front of us. Because we didn't fill the whole table, we had a rotating group of tablemates (including a couple of guys from Hungary who had driven up that day, were going to sleep in their car, and then drive back on the Sunday - epic).

We whiled away the afternoon catching up over a few steins – since nobody is living closer than a couple of hundred miles from each other, there was a lot to catch up on.

Nat is living in Germany now and she's already fitting right in

Saturday night we stumbled upon a great spot just off the Marienplatz (the main square); passing under the clock-tower brought us to a courtyard cafe, and off to one side was a very cool cellar restaurant. It was a veritable rabbit warren of rooms, and along with Kylie and Anthony and an ever-increasing band of friends (including Matt Williams who had made it across) and friends of friends we completely colonised one of the rooms as our private dining suite.

Sarah and Kylie in the cafe off Marienplatz

Dinner under the Marienplatz

Sunday was the day that we'd actually booked into a tent, and it was just as well we did. By the time that we arrived (at midday) the tent was full, and those that were there looked like they'd been drinking since 10am. As part of the ticket price we all got 2 litres of beer and half a chicken, which about sums up the standard dining options – you haven't seen anything though until you see the beer ladies bring 10 litres of beer or 5 whole chickens to your table...it was a great afternoon.

The Hofbrau Tent

The crew for our table

It was packed inside

So that is what 10 half chickens and three pork knuckles looks like

Monday we decided to atone for our sins by doing some exercise. Hugh arranged for us to hire some bikes and took us on a guided tour of Munich (he lives there, so knows all the good places to go). Highlights included the English Garden – stunning parklands in the middle of the city, the various palaces around the city, and the standing wave in the river where people surf year-round – you have to see it to believe it.

Oktoberfest in Munich = must do (with friends)