SOOO MUCH FUN!!

So I will be the first to admit that when my husband booked a non-refundable hotel room for Oktoberfest a few months ago I was a little less than thrilled.  After all taking an extremely independent toddler to the worlds largest party didn't really sound like my idea of a good time...but boy was I wrong!  So wrong in fact that after a full day at the fest. we decided to change our travel plans, wash our lederhosen at the hotel Laundromat, and head back out for day number two!

A few facts you should know....

• Oktoberfest is a 16 day celebration that ends on the first Monday in October...so in all actuality it could be called Septemberfest.

• During those 16 days over 7 million liters of beer (and 6 million chickens) are severed in extravagant beer tents*. It is mandatory that all beer served meet the traditional German beer laws and must be brewed within the city of Munich.

• We have to pause here so that I can let you in on the beer tent action!  There are 14 different beer tents which have made Oktoberfest their home.  Now when I say "tent" I don't mean a little pop up structure with a bar in the back.  I mean an extremely large (and by large I mean seats 10,000) building extravagantly decorated both inside and out and filled to the brim with action.  If you are lucky enough to find a seat (you literally have to stand at the ready for someone to stand up so you can cram into their tiny vacated place on a bench) you are immediately greeted by a beer maid who places a large (1/2 liter beer) in front of you.  You can then order a traditional Bavarian meal or simply sip and enjoy the fun.  The atmosphere inside these tents is really indescribable, there is non stop singing, dancing, laughing, drinking, and bustling of people.  It was so fun to watch the beer maidens running back and forth with arms full of 1/2 liter mugs (an extreme talent) listening to the German's Proust and sing both German and American songs!  We literally stood on tables and clinked glasses with those around us (even though I only indulged in a few sips of beer)!  SOO MUCH FUN! 

• Over 6 million people attend Oktoberfest every year
• Although the main attraction is the beer tents one can also find unlimited food stalls, fair rides, carnival games, parades, souvenir shops, live music, and car shows!
• We spent two days wondering the fair grounds and am still pretty sure we didn't see everything there was to see!

• Bavarians take their lederhosen seriously! 
•  My favorite part of the experience by far was getting dressed up with my little family and joining the locals.  It was so fun to see all of the fancy dresses, long socks, feathered hats, and plaid shirts!  All though at first we bought lederhosen as a sort of costume I have now realized that it is much more than that;  To Germans lederhosen is about pride!  Oh, and could my little Bavarian boy be any cuter?

I am sooo glad that we got to experience this little piece of German culture before we pack up and head home for good!  Oktoberfest in Munich is definitely something that I will not soon forget, but if I do we will always have the pictures (click here to see)!