Well, this has been another busy week! A lot of work and a lot of fun...although I must say that even the work is decently fun since it is just learning German at the moment. I spent Wednesday and Thursday in the library on campus until about 21:00 each day going over grammar, vocabulary, and other elements that I thought might be of some importance for the test. There are a couple very kind Korean (South obviously) girls in my class and we have worked together to master some of the elements and speak a little. We have a great time struggling together. The test is actually on Wednesday, so I am still in the thick of studying, but I decided that I can afford a small break, and maybe it is very needed! Friday I didn't get too much studying in because Friday was Thilo's birthday. I had to hurry up and get home after class on Friday so that I wouldn't miss out on the Kuchen and Kaffee which took place in the afternoon to celebrate the birthday. There was one cake that Susanne said was Russian and was somewhat like a cheesecake with areas of chocolate cake baked into it, very good! Then there was my favorite of the two cakes, a raspberry cake that had fresh raspberries and then some sort of Jello-like substance that held it all together, extremely juicy and extremely delicious!
This week has been defined by fests it seems. Last weekend there was a stadtfest (city fest) in Würzburg and then just yesterday (Sep 23rd) some classmates and I went to Munich for the opening day of Oktoberfest. The stadtfest was a blast! It started on Friday evening and there were a bunch of stages set up all around the town center with live music going on. There were also tons of small tents where beer, bratwurst, sweinsteak, and other German staples could be purchased. I have infiltrated the circle of the Spaniards in my class and so I organized an outing to the fest on Friday.
 |
| A fashion show on one of the stages |
 |
| There were also hundreds of tables set up in front of restaurants and in the streets |
This Spanish group is also the group that I went to Oktoberfest with. It turns out that Oktoberfest is exactly like it is portrayed in the movies...all of the intoxicated foreigners which comprised the majority of the people in the train on the way there were not disappointed I wouldn't think. We left from Würzburg at about 7:45 and arrived in Nuremberg a couple hours later. We then transferred to a different train and arrived in Munich a couple hours after that. It was raining there. Oktoberfest is set up similarly to a state fair here. You only really hear about the huge beer/restaurant tents in the movies and such but there are also rides, food, games, and all sorts of other attractions. We went strait to one of the largest tents (Zelts in Deutsch), figuring that that is what we came for, and it would be good to get out of the rain. We fought it out, stood in line in the rain for at least an hour and a half and then finally made it in. It was utterly impressive! From the amount of space in the tent, to the amount of people, to the band playing on a stage in the center, to the size of the beers that were for sale, to the amount of beers the waitresses were carrying, impressive is an understatement. We found a table (you are only able to order if you have a seat) and we ordered 6 beers and then ended up just hanging out in the tent four about 4 hours until it was time to head back to the station. Needless to say, the atmosphere in the tent was quite cheerful, with all sorts of intercultural and international bonding going on.
 |
| Munich Hbf (Haupbahnhof - train station) |
 |
| Toilets in the station. In Germany you pay for almost every public restroom. |
 |
| Crowds on there way to the fest grounds |
 |
| This is an example of what the Zelts look like from the outside |
And so, after finally gaining entry into the Zelt, THIS is what we walked in to......
 |
| 1 L glasses |
 |
| Jon and I. The crowd behind us is standing on their seats singing and clapping along with the band. |
Unfortunately, my camera died after this picture and so I wasn't able to document the rest of the time in the tent. We did spend the whole time in the tend though and I would have enjoyed getting out and checking the place out a little bit more. However, I will be going again this coming weekend with my host family, and I think we will be spending a lot more time out and around the grounds.
Well, my break is now over, I must get back to the joy of the grammar and vocabulary of the German language! Until next time!
And here is a good site that explains in detail the history and tradition behind Oktoberfest, as well as the workings and elements of the fest:
http://www.vistawide.com/german/oktoberfest/oktoberfest.htm
