Oktoberfest!

Finally, one of the trips I have been looking forward to the most happened...OKTOBERFEST!!! 

Oktoberfest is something that should be on everyones bucket list! It is indescribable! 

Our journey began on 11pm Friday night. Yes, we decided months ago that taking a bus for a one day trip to Oktoberfest was a good idea, do I regret it...slightly. It was about a 9 hour bus ride of pretty much misery because it was so uncomfortable to sleep on but regardless its all part of the experience! We stopped twice for bathroom and food breaks and reached Munich and were off the bus around 9am.  Although we had barely gotten any sleep, adrenalin kicked in as we approached the "Welcome to Oktoberfest" arc. We immediately entered one of the beer tents and got sat pretty quickly at a table (you can only order drinks if you're sitting at a table). On our way over to the table Taylor and I got grabbed into a huge man who was at least 45 years old and were brought into a chant of OLE OLE OLE OLEEE OLE OLE!! This was our first taste of what the day was about to be like. We got sat next to Americans from University of Syracuse who happened to have been on our bus ride. We ordered our first pints of the day and began to participate in the madness of Oktoberfest! Everyone was chanting and singing it was like the crowd at a sports event! IT WAS AWESOME!! After we finished our first pint we decided to make attempts to get inside the tent. The line was taking forever but we met a bunch of cool people for all different places and finally ended up just giving up on getting inside and went to try and get another outdoor table. We soon found one and were back to another pint and making our first Oktoberfest food purchase of a giant pretzel! We also got placed near Americans again who were from Fairfield University. I shared some mutual friends with them and hung out there for a while. I also met a few italians who attempted to teach us some words and got me and one of the guys I met from Fairfield into a contest of whose eyes were prettier. We decided to then venture off to find another tent. That only lead us to a bathroom break and getting roped into the Oktoberfest rides that are about 8.50 Euro each! I also found chocolate covered strawberries so I needed to get those. The rides were so much fun! But I don't understand how rides and drinking go together at all....Soon it was another typical Tay and Mic moment as we got lost from everyone we were with and ventured off alone. As we walked around we got food. I somehow talked a food vendor into a food deal to give me a vegetarian mac and cheese for 3.50 Euros which was half the price of the meat one and also not even an option on the menu. The Germans looked at me like I was crazy for not wanting meat because EVERYTHING there had meat. Taylor and I decided to try and get ourselves back in a tent area. By this time the lines were obnoxious to enter a tent without a ticket and not even an option to get inside without a ticket, which we did not have. Getting into another tent seemed like it was deemed for failure until fate was on our side and we saw a guy selling his bracelet to these two other guys so we ran over to get some of our own. Unfortunately he only had one bracelet left so Taylor and I couldn't get it but the guys he had sold it to told us to just try and sneak in with them since they had bracelets. We went around to the back and tried to casually sneak in past a security guard but got pushed back. Then yet another miracle occurred as this guy walked up and pretended to be our dad and also paid the security guard off to let us in!! People in Europe are awesome!!! So we had finally made it in to the heart and best of Oktoberfest, inside the tent!! There was a live band playing a mix of American songs and Germany and 20 more times as crazy as it was outside! The guys we had originally met bought us a pint to split...once again what is life and why is everyone here awesome?!? We found out the two guys were from LA and were like 33...they asked Taylor and I if we were born in the 90s and said "oh those were some good times." We made fun of them back asking them if the old music playing which was the Beatles at the time brought back childhood memories. We pretty much hung out with them for the rest of the time in the tent as we dance, sang, and pinched peoples butts and try and play it off like it was someone else. At one point we separated away and joined another crowed and once again ended up running into Americans that were our age and hanging out with them. Until Mr. 30 LA came back to us and by then we decided to spend the last few hours of Oktoberfest with them. With about an hour left till we had to get on the bus Taylor decided to venture off to find a water. I stayed with our new friends until after a while realizing that Taylor was still not back. After texting her off my italian phone I ended up finding her with her new Australian friends. By then it was really time to leave, even though we contemplated several times staying and finding our own way home the next day. We said goodbye to our new friends and headed back to the bus. We decided that we for sure should have stayed the weekend and that Oktoberfest will be in our future again! The bus ride home was miserable...probably the most miserable for me....we got back on Sunday morning about 9am and slept for pretty much the rest of the day.

Oktoberfest is one of those things you need to attend to truly understand its glory. For me it was one of the best most memorable experiences I have ever had! I understand why people make it tradition to go every year because that is my new goal (maybe when I graduate college anyways)! EVERYONE needs to experience Oktoberfest!!! 

Ciao....or should I say Auf Wiedersehen!!!!