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27 Sep 2010
Monday. Our planned Oktoberfest day! However, Oktoberfest starts at 10am on the weekdays, so we woke up early to take a walk around the Viktualienmarkt, a market nearby Marienplatz, the city centre of Munich since 1158 CE.
On the S-bahn from the Ostbahnhof (East Station) to Marienplatz (Mary's Square)
Map of the city centre. We walked from Marienplatz, through the Altes Rathaus (Old City Hall) to Viktualienmarkt. View larger.
The Neues Rathaus (new city hall) at Marienplatz
The Rathaus-Glockenspiel, the figures move at 11am everyday
Virgin Mary atop the Mariensäule (Marian Column), with the Frauenkirche behind. The column was built in 1638 CE to celebrate the end of Swedish occupation.
At Viktualienmarkt
Bread stall, we bought some €0.50 pretzels here
Are we near the mountains or by the sea? There's some amazing looking seafood here
Walking around the market stalls
Veggies Fall-in! Everything is incredibly clean, neat, and looks fantastic.
Souvenir toys
Notice anything of interest?
There's durian and jackfruit, although the durian does look like its been there for too long...
Flower stall
More breakfast for about €2.85
On our way to Oktoberfest, switching over to the U-bahn at the Hauptbahnhof (main train station)
Finally, we are here! Right out of Theresienwiese U-bahn station. Oktoberfest runs from September to October for only about 18 days and sees some 5-6 million visitors. It started in 1810 CE. Many people attend in their traditional dress.
The bird's eye view of Theresienwiesen where Oktoberfest is held every year. View larger
The Fischer Vroni tent, where we decided to stay put.
Fischer Vroni's Specialty, BBQ fish on the stick!
There's so much BBQ fish out here, it smells of BBQ fish in the tent
Inside at about 9:15am, we sat at a table that is reserved from 5pm onwards. This is the first year that there is no smoking inside the Oktoberfest tents. Perfect for non-smokers like us!
The Augustiner, an excellent local beer that is hard to get anywhere else. It is also the oldest in Munich's Oktoberfest. Only 6 local beers are allowed to be sold in Oktoberfest. Everything with beer comes in 1 litre (Mass) at €8.90, more expensive due to the festival. Before attending, we heard about how the waiters/waitresses at Oktoberfest will usually give you no change. To our surprised in Fischer Vroni, they gave us all the change and you decide how much you like to tip them. They even have an English menu, very nice. Next, I took a walk around the tent.
Beer comes from the barrel from a real tap. That's how it should be on the tap!
Reassurance that there's enough beer left, large LCD screens showing CCTV of the store are placed all around the tent.
Souvenir stall
Gingerbread Souvenirs, people buy this and walk around with them round their necks.
Kitchens are large
Since it was still early, I went to check out the other tents
The Hippodrom, they serve Spaten
Inside the Hippodrom, very red, recommended for singles due to high flirt factor
Pretzel stalls and food stalls are everywhere.
The Armbrustschützen - Bull's Eye! tent that serves Paulaner
Inside the tent, one of the attractions is the Oktoberfest crossbow competition
Back at our tent and starting on breakfast, Fillet of Herring with boiled potatoes, €11.50.
It is about 10:30am and it is almost full, the band has started
Closer to lunch time, BBQ Mackerel on the stick! €3.50 per 100grams, this was €14.
Looks like some American tourists are starting the table top dancing early
Every 30 minutes, they will play Ein Prozit (cheers?) and it means it's time to take another gulp if you haven't and knock mugs with your neighbours
Past noon time, the place is full. Looking back at the pictures after the trip I realised there were lots of men. It turns out, we were in the middle of the largest gay event in Oktoberfest without knowing it. Ah... tourists...
The crazy queue outside. No seat, no bier. Smokers also had to stand outside.
Later into the afternoon at 4pm
Time for tea, here's 1/4 a roast duck with two potato dumplings and really tasty red cabbage for €13.80.
It was almost 5pm and time to leave, we took a walk around outside. Some huge horses here. In fact, the largest we have seen on our entire trip.
The Hacker - Bavarian Heaven tent, we will be back here on our last morning in Munich
The Augustiner-Festhalle tent, the friendliest Oktoberfest tent
Schottenhamel tent, the most important tent where the Mayor of Munich opens the first keg on the first day of Oktoberfest at 12pm.
The Löwenbräu tent
More tents
Schützen-Festzelt
Inside Schützen-Festzelt
The Bavaria statue above Theresienwiese. Oktoberfest commemorates the wedding of Princess Therese to Crown Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria
What looks like a large play house where one can stumble around after a few drinks.
The ferris wheel. There are many rides you can go on after drinking.
After an entire day of food and some 3 litres of oktoberfestbier, we left Oktoberfest and headed back to Marienplatz to take a short look around the town centre and St. Peter's Church. One day wasn't enough for all the excellent beer here and already I was thinking of returning for more.
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3 comments:
Wow your 9.15am tent was really VERY EMPTY! When I was there, it was already packed like crazy. Maybe that's why they could return change to you? Haha...
Ah... memories of the festival. Did u take any rides?
No, I did not take any rides, did you? Perhaps since it's Monday morning, it was rather empty.
haha.. i went on a thursday and it was packed like crazy. but i didn't go there at 9.15am, maybe thats why.
i didn't take any rides too, but some of my colleagues did. the rides were horrendously expensive.
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