It’s Saturday and we are all slow to get up - Tony and Dave Moynihan (DM) are a bit tired from jet lag and Monique and Dave DeSalvo (DD) are just tired. We are in no hurry because the first beer at Oktoberfest isn’t served until noon. Our target time to arrive at the Wiesn - or fairgrounds - is around 3:00 pm. A trip to the grocery store is our first on our list - there is a nice local supermarket within walking distance. We pick up a nice sampling of goods and beer to put in our fridge for later. Monique fires up the stove and cooks us breakfast sausages, toast and scrambled eggs. Nice start to the day.
We leave the apartment knowing we have one stop to make. The Vodaphone store will give us our needed SIM card that enables google maps. We exit the metro at Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) and eventually locate the store and attempt to get a chip. We pay but there is a problem. Vodaphone’s server can’t activate the SIM - any SIM. There is a guy that has been sitting there for two hours with no activation. We wonder why they sold us a SIM card and asked for our money back. They tell us they have another way that may work and try this new method on the other guy’s phone. We wait another 15 minutes only to learn that it does not work either. After wasting 45 minutes they give us cash back and we leave empty handed. No google maps to aid our travels in Germany. No stores are open on Sundays (tomorrow) and we are leaving on Wednesday so it’s not worth the time or money to try again - we’re going old school.
Back down into the Metro and one stop later (Theresienwiese) we exit with everyone else - Tony is looking the part decked out in Lederhosen. We decide it’s best to stay with the crowds and discover the escalator spits thousands of Fest-goers right into the Wiesn. We pass through security - it’s free to get in so the process is fast. This is like 50 Milwaukee Summerfest crowds in one. We walk together checking out all the rides and stop for a wurst - YUM! The place is so huge, we abandon the rides section about halfway through and opt for a beer tent instead and cut across to the Paulaner tent. There is a huge line to get in - it’s Saturday night. We check another and same thing. We go to the Pschoor Braurosl tent and discover the line is not as bad and wait in what we think is a line to get in - but no one is being let in. None of us know how this works. There are tables outside with people drinking and we want some. Dave hears these guys from England talking so he pushes in and lets them know we are greenhorns and need to know how to get a beer. He points out a guy in a blue shirt and says to grab him. Dave gets to him quick and orders four beers. We pay him 42 euros and he tells us to stay right here in front of table number 12. We don’t move. Within minutes four beers arrive and the fun begins. We start talking to two couples sitting at table 12. One couple is from Munich and the other is from “outside” Berlin - an important distinction we find out. They are really fun. They tell us Tony is the doppelgänger of their friend Dave who plays guitar in their band. Everyone starts calling him Dave - so we came with two Dave’s and left with three. DM called the two woman at the table Ginger and MaryAnn from Gilligan's Island. They laugh but want to know who these people are - we assure them it is a compliment. They consult the internet with no luck so Tony (new Dave) uses their phone to google it and shows them a picture of them in swimsuits and now it is OK - they are fine with being Ginger and MaryAnn. We drink more and even snort some menthol snuff. Tony shares his chew with them but they don't like it. We learn you must defend your spot because there are people trying to sit down. We hold our ground.
We are told that after the sun goes down the bands are better inside the tent and they will let people in. DM and DD go to check it out. We see no one being let in. We try two different doors and they want to see a wristband that we do not have. We try one more door on the side by the pissoir - yes, the outside men’s room is called a pissoir - it’s a trough you pee in. We ask this large security guy, “How do we get in?” He says “It’s difficult, but wait over there.” We wait on the side with a few others. Then he says, “What are you going to do for me?” He says to give him 20 euros. We say, “No, how about 10?” He brings us in around the corner and takes the money. We thought it was a drunk fest outside - this is at a whole new level. We push our way in and work our way toward the band and jump up on the table with the other drunk people. They ask us where we are from - Chicago is our new line because not many people know where Wisconsin is. We mouth the songs to try to fit in because everyone around us knows every word. We dance and sing. It is hot and sweaty. We push our way back outside through the drunk crowd.
When we arrive back outside and tell our story, Monique and Tony want to get in. We go back to the side door and the guy remembers us and lets us back in for free. We return to the spot and push our way in. This whole area is reserved and the group in front welcomes us back in. Monique gets up on a table just behind and a young guy puts his arm around her. She dances up there for a few songs, then he tells her he wants something to let her stay. After a few minutes she joins us to get away from them. It is wild and drunk singing. We witness the last song and then everyone begins to leave. They basically push and shove you out of the tent. We get caught up in the stream of drunkards to exit the park. There are so many people we have to work hard to stay together. We follow the hoards of people out of the park and walk for blocks back to Central Station. We try to take a taxi but they don’t know or don’t want to take us. We enter the metro and catch the U2 to Feldmoching. We get off after four stops at Hohenzollerplatz. We decide to skip the tram and walk to the apartment - it takes about 15 min. We make it back and all agree it is the largest drunk fest we have ever seen. Eins, zwei, drei, g’suffa; Zicke-Zacke-Zicke-Zacke Hoy, Hoy, Hoy!
DM picking up the staples at the supermarket - look at the size of that beer - I think it was 2 euros
Who knew this was a huge carnival too - Oktoberfest is amazing - there's no festival like it.
Maybe later - or maybe not. Either way it's a beautiful day.
This is the tent we finally find a table to sit at. This place is packed!
The group at table 12. We got lucky and these awesome people let us share their table.
Tony (Dave) with our new German friends.
We need another round.
That's e-snuff!
Ginger, Monique and Maryanne - notice the pissoir in the background.
Big D or Dave M - we finally got in the tent!
Inside the tent is where the party is really happening.
We got up close - right by the stage - no easy task I assure you. "Sweet Caroline - oh oh oh"