Guten Tag! This weekend I traveled to Munich, Germany to go to Oktoberfest, one of the largest beer folk festivals in the world. Oktoberfest originally began in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. Over the years, the festival has grown in size and length and is now the biggest in the world! Each day we woke up, dressed in our dirndl and the men in their lederhosen, and made our way to the festival!
There is quite a lot to do at Oktoberfest, and is welcoming of all ages. We of course visited the many beer tents and gardens, where you are served a stein of beer, can enjoy traditional German foods and listen to folk music! Each day I enjoyed a traditional pretzel or German hot dogs which are called wiener würstchens. We also enjoyed the carnival side of Oktoberfest and were able to ride different rides and play different carnival games. The culture in Germany is really different than anything I have experienced yet, and I really enjoyed myself. The people there speak German, and many speak English, which gave us the chance to socialize with many Germans and really get a taste of what Germany is like.
One of my favorite parts was listening to the traditional folk music they play at all of the beer gardens because it really gave me a sense of German culture. The most popular song played is called "I Salute You" or " Ein Prosit", which begins with Ein Prosit Der Gemütlichkeit meaning I salute to our friendship and good times we’re having together. The most popular songs that are also big hits in America are "Hey Baby- If you'll be my Girl" and "Mountain Mother", which actually has a Spanish chorus! I loved how the crowds went wild singing and dancing when these songs were played, and just how joyous everyone was around me.
Oktoberfest was most definitely a once in a life time experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone intrigued by what you've read! Auf Wiedersehen!