Oktoberfest Round 2!

The next morning (Saturday the 25th of September) we awoke around noon. We had planned to get up at 8 am to visit the tents again but our bodies had disagreed with us and the alarms that blared throughout the morning were effectively ignored. When we finally did struggle out of bed we dressed and readied ourselves quickly before eating a brunch of Doener at a local shop and boarding the train back to Munich and the Oktoberfest. When we got there the streets were even more crowded than they were last night. We decided to take a walk around the entirety of the festival to get a feel for exactly how large it was. Just walking through the crowd was a laborious task. We had to struggle to keep our little six-person group together was we waded through the surging crowd.

We walked for a few hours around the carnival-like portion of the festival, looking at all the rides and attractions offered. After a time we decided to go back to the tents and see if it was possible to enter one. On the way we met one of James' high school friends who was studying in Vienna and walked around to the back of the beer tents in an attempt to get in. The lines were just as long as they were last night and much slower. After a time we managed to get into one of the tents (the Hipodrome) but each and every table was either taken or reserved. After circulating the tent we decided to try our luck at the other tents.

The crowded and colorful Hipdrome tent.

Outside on the street we walked past a multitude of people whom it seemed Oktoberfest had thoroughly beaten. Dozens of people were passed out on a grassy hill behind the tents and dozens more were slumped over fences or against trees. Some were in even more amusing positions.

The main entrance to Oktoberfest.

These guys had a little too much fun.

We continued walking around the festival for what seemed like a long time before we finally reached the conclusion that we weren't getting into any tents today. On Saturday it seemed each table in each tent was previously reserved and we were out of luck. We werent' too discouraged however. Some of our companions had seen a beer garden just outside Oktoberfest and we were sure we could just as easily entertain ourselves there.

We were right. The beer garden was alive and thriving. We first seated ourselves next to German political science students who were anxious to talk about political struggles in both the US and Germany. I enjoyed the conversation but soon moved to another table were two brothers and their respective daughters were enjoying each other's company over a few steins. We talked to them for a while and it turns out they owned a company in Cologne and offered to give us a tour of their facilities some time. We thanked them and marveled over the ability of the daughters to drink so openly with their fathers.

By midnight the beer garden was closing down and we had lost several members of our party. Figuring they had gone back to the hostel the remainder of us met some French students who had driven up from Cologne for the festival. We soon parted from them however and took a late-night, walking tour of Munich. It was a very nice night and there were plenty of sights to see even in the darkness. Finally we made it back to the Hauptbahnhof and boarded our train around 4 am. By the time we finally collapsed into our beds it was 6 am.

I woke an hour and a half after that, showered, dressed, and rode the train back to Munich with two members of our party. One had to catch a flight and the other was meeting a friend in the city. I said goodbye to them and went off on my own to explore. My first stop was Marienplatz, essentially the town square. I walked around the area, looking at the historic buildings and the huge churches. I found one that allowed you to climb to an observation deck for 1 euro and went up to the top. The view was stunning. You could essentially see the whole of Munich from that vantage point. It was quite impressive.

Me in front of the Neuesrathaus (new city hall).

A view of Marienplatz from the top of the church.

Cathedral of St. Mary

After a fun afternoon of site seeing I met up with the boys again and traveled to the Dachau concentration camp which was a 25 minute train ride away. The site had the exact opposite effect that Oktoberfest had. Everyone was silent and sober as we walked around the large, mostly open grounds. Only one prisoner barracks remained but the gas chambers and crematorium were also intact. We spent the better part of two hours at the camp before finally heading back to Munich.

The gate to the camp. "Arbeit Macht Frei"
Translation: Work makes one free.

The memorial sculpture at Dachau.

By the time we made it back to Munich it was nearly time to catch our 7:30 train back to Cologne. We stopped very briefly at the Englischergarten (English Gardens) for dinner. The gardens were very peaceful and it was a fine day to enjoy them. The food was also excellent and I regretted that we didnt' have more time to stay and enjoy the scene. After our food and beer were consumed we took the street car back to the central train station and boarded our train bound for home. All-in-all, I would call it a great weekend.