Failed to quit while I was ahead on Monday. Oops!
But, in defense of myself and the institution of Oktoberfest, most everything about the night was tons of fun. :)
Our first and most glaring mistake was having next to nothing to eat all day. A little fruit for me, a little pasta for Jon, and some bacon for both of us. The plan was to get meter long bratwurst for dinner at the park.
We met Noelle, our bartender friend from Green Leaf, on a nearby bridge and walked to the park, poking fun at the barely-remaining-upright revelers who passed in the other direction. Little did we know that we would be among their ranks just a few hours later! Noelle led us straight to the Augustiner tent, which has a reputation for being one of the best tents at Oktoberfest. Not only did we get in without having to wait in line, we actually found seats at a table! The atmosphere inside a tent is electric. It's worlds away from the ambiance of the rest of the event. "Merry-making" sounds like such a twee phrase, but it's the only way I can accurately describe life inside a tent. So many people are dressed in traditional clothing; the building is decorated in greenery and fairy lights; everyone is waving around a mug of beer, shouting along to the classic German tunes played by the band at the center of the room. Oktoberfest might be the only place in the world you can dance on a table and not be called a slut! Everyone is standing on the tables, arms wrapped around each other, swaying back and forth. Cries of "Ein prosit!" pour forth from a thousand smiling, blissful faces. The energy is completely infectious...after a short walk around the tent, I too had developed the same giddy grin and euphoric look. If the world could always be like the inside of an Oktoberfest tent, it would be a very happy, peaceful place.
We ordered our beers and settled into conversations with the Ukrainians to our right and the New Zealander across from us. He had some pretty amazing stories...he's traveling and working for a couple of years (and I thought six months seemed like a long time!) on a bus that he rented with a bunch of his friends. He'd just come from running with the bulls...twice. We were also joined by a Canadian ex-pat who now lives in Germany, and a guy from Seattle. This is what I knew I'd love about Oktoberfest. It's a chance to meet people from all over the world and everyone is immediately friends, united by a common cause (even if that cause is drinking!). It's like Burning Man, but with significantly less glitter. Though rest assured that I was doing my part to make it as sparkly as possible!
I desperately wanted to join the throngs of people dancing on the tables, but it's a little hard to get wrapped up in a song when you can't even understand the lyrics. I was hoping and praying the band would eventually oblige me with a tune in my native language. A little "Ziggy Stardust," perhaps? Some "Satisfaction?" A rousing round of "Pokerface," at the very least? Finally, I began to hear the opening measures of something I recognized. I jumped out of my seat and launched myself onto the table, overwhelmed with the excitement of finally being able to join the bobbing, throbbing masses when -
No.
No, this cannot possibly be.
My shoulders fell into a disappointed slouch and the proverbial wind whizzed out of my proverbial sails.
The song the Augustiner tent had chosen to represent my homeland was..."Sweet Home Alabama." Quite possibly the most over-played tripe this side of "Love Shack."
But, when God gives you lemons, throw some whisky over them and have Lynchburg Lemonades until you can't remember the problems that made you start drinking in the first place! I did America proud and sang as loud as the best of them. After that catastrophe, the band treated us to some swing music and a beautiful rendition of "Hey Jude." Somehow two more beers appeared for Noelle and I, so we diligently began working on round two. Ah, the blessings and curses of being a girl! On one hand you get lots of things for free, often without even asking for them in the first place. But on the other hand, you then feel obligated to consume said things as a way of saying thank you for them. Oh well. I'm generally pretty good at looking like I've had more to drink than I actually have, so I abandoned the tail end of the drink when the tent began kicking the crowd out at the end of the night.
We spent the rest of the night wandering around (never finding dinner after all!), doing what Oktoberfesters do best - being generally loud and obnoxious. Singing, dancing, laughing, meeting entertaining people, giggling at public nudity...all the staples of the world's biggest drinking festival.
The journey home was pretty uneventful until Noelle walked straight into a parked scooter, which promptly keeled over and trapped her, prostrate on the sidewalk, beneath itself. That attracted a little bit of police attention, so we figured it was in our best interest to keep moving!
There are few times in my life I have been quite that happy to see my bed. I can only imagine how Ben's frat put themselves through a week of this and came out alive! :)
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