We booked a last minute trip to Germany! We flew to Munich to experience the biggest Oktoberfest celebration in the world and.. it was awesome!!!
We arrived in Munich pretty late on Thursday and we rushed to a store that sold lederhosen (traditional German leather shorts) and dirndls (tradition German dresses). Ryan and I were so excited to get dressed up for Oktoberfest! We were relieved when we arrived to the store with 15 minutes to spare - we just needed to shop quickly! Little did we know we went to the main authentic shop - one woman's outfit was over 600 euro and the men's lederhosen and was closer to 1,000 euros! We cut our losses and decided to go with our own back-up outfits. Ugh, lame!
Our luck changed when we arrived at the festival. We were both starving and ready to eat dinner when the cutest lady helped us to a table. She knew we hadn't been to Oktoberfest before so she suggested the traditional half chicken meal with sauerkraut. It was the BEST chicken we have ever had!! Ryan drank beer and I drank Raddlers, which I later learned is just a beer with Sprite.. no wonder I felt like I had a sugar high!
The pretzels deserve their own paragraph. You guys.. I was so excited to try the REAL Bavarian pretzel. I had them in Austria a few years back and they were great, but I wanted to experience the REAL authentic Oktoberfest Pretzel!! After one bite, it was pretty obvious they are just a way to absorb alcohol at Oktoberfest. They are served cold without any dipping sauce and honestly, they were pretty stale. BUMMER!!!
But the chicken made up for it.
We scootered home with full bellies on Munich's impeccable bike lanes and got some good sleep for the next day!
Ryan and I woke up and booked it back! We ate breakfast in a Biergarten and then we bopped around for the rest of the day. We visited 10 of the 38 tents, rode the giant drop ride, played some games, and sang our hearts out!
Because we planned this trip so last minute, we didn't have any table reservations in the tents. This didn't seem to be a problem for us until Friday around 4 pm. Then, the crowds really rolled in and we couldn't find a seat anywhere. This happened Saturday morning at the opening as well. If we do this trip again (which Ryan insists we do) we will definitely be making reservations. Ryan would move into a tent if he could!
Our favorite thing about Oktoberfest is how hyped up everyone is. Everyone is excited, dressed up, and ready to have a good time! At the end of the night, people are all standing on the tables, singing and dancing together.. it is such an awesome experience!
*Pro Tip*: "Das Boot" is not how you say "The Boot" in German... that's only in the movie Beerfest!
The night we arrived back in Dubrovnik, I tried to recreate German Potato Dumplings because they were Ryan's favorite. After we prepped the potato balls, I put them in simmering water and they literally disappeared. Fail! I think Ryan's heart broke a little bit when he stirred the pot and there was nothing in there. Whoops, I'll try again another time.
*Dubrovnik life update*: it's been rainy for the last week or so and it's definitely cooling down for Fall. Ryan and I are rewatching Game of Thrones since we're in Kings Landing! Thanks for reading, everybody! Winter is coming!!
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