PROST! More Munich

Tuesday:
For breakfast we walked to Weisses Brauhaus for some Weisswurste (boiled white sausages), sauerkraut and some weiss beer (of course). Had to start the day correctly! Then we met up with Justin, Amy and August. We walked together to Oktoberfest in the rain and ducked into the Ochsenbraterie tent.














August was mesmerized by the brass band and tried to get a handle on the pretzel.


















The Ochsenbraterie tent specializes in roasted oxen so, of course, we had to order ochsenbraten, mamorierte teile vom rind an kraftiger rotweinsobe mit kartoffelsalad or ox roast, slices of beef with red wine sacue and potato salad.
If you are a vegetarian, I do apologize for the next picture.















We also took a ferris wheel ride and Colin took this picture from it.















Wednesday:





We took the train to Starnberg to meet up with Justin and Amy. Our mission was to drive to Neuschwanstein Castle at Schwangau bei Fussen. Although it was rainy, it was great to see the countryside. We slogged our way up the hill to the castle which reminded me of the paved trail of Old Peak Road to Victoria Peak in Hong Kong. After a half-hour uphill walk, we had an hour before our tour so we decided to warm ourselves up at the cafe. We ordered beer and hot wine (which was perfect for the soggy weather). Then we noticed the table next to us were tucking into cups of molten chocolate and decided that we need to try one ourselves. Very decadent!

Neuschwanstein Castle was built around 1884. It had a medieval feel to it but seeing a telephone reminded us that it was pretty "recent" castle. One of the interesting room is the Grotto between the living room and study. The castle is also famous for being the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty castle in Disneyland. All in all, I thought it was romantic especially when it was shrouded in the mist.

Justin drove us back to train station (they were staying in Starnberg). Incidentally, the lake, Starnberger See, was where Ludwig II died. Ludwig II built Neuschwanstein and was thought insane for building it.

Coming back to the city, Colin and I decided to try out another beer hall. This time we headed to Augustiner Gaststatten on Neuhauser Strasse. It was a typical beer hall: smoky, crowded, beer. It was great!


Thursday:

We all went to Deutsches Museum and August was moving from one display to another. It was hard to get a picture of him.


















After walking around Old Town Munich, we parted ways at the train station. This is a picture in front of the fountain by Karlsplatz.














That evening Colin and I walked over to Oktoberfest around 8pm. Most of the tents have closed their doors and there were lines for people trying to get in. We actually got into the only tent open and regretted it. It was beyond crowded. We were getting pushed and so we hustled out of there and called it a night.


Friday (last day):

We decided to spend our last day in the tents. So around 10ish in the morning, we walked over to Augustiner-Festhalle and found a table free until 5 that afternoon. We were soon joined by 3 New Zealanders. They've been travelling (and will be travelling) for 3 months. Amidst the noise and revelry, we talked about China, Hong Kong, Bangkok and whenever a raucous singing started they suspected it was an Australian group. Pretty soon the table was seating 12 people including us! Everyone was in good spirit and toasting - PROST - with each other. All that drinking was making me lightheaded so I ordered colamix. This strange concoction is coke mixed with lemonade. Strange? I found it a good alternative as well as refreshing. I drank this throughout the trip (in addition to beer and hot wine).



















By 3pm, the tent was rocking! Lots of people singing with the band, lots of people smoking and lots of people drinking - it was a party!

















However, we had to quit by 4. We have our limits! So off to the hotel we go. On our way home, I finally took a picture of the harp-playing donkey in front of St. Peter's Church.



















With a nap to refresh us, we headed over to yet another beer hall, Augustiner-braustuben. The draught horses are suppose to be in this former horse stable during Oktoberfest. We neither saw it or smelled it. We did however like this Bavarian pub for its food and, of course, its beer. I've decided that I liked Augustiner beer and the Spaten beer second. Although, I'm not a beer connoisseur, I find it light and smooth without much bitter aftertaste (and you thought I was a complete newbie).





















Overall, Colin and I enjoyed Munich or at least what we saw which was not much. We would like to come back and explore it more in depth. Oktoberfest is fun and wild though in a more controlled setting. The security is pretty good so nothing really go out of hand. There are those who imbibed a bit more than they should but they were in such small number. People come to Oktoberfest more for its tradition, festivity and traditional Bavarian food. There are quirky sights like a merry-go-round bar and big-as-your-head pretzels that put a smile on your face. We'll definitely come back.














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