22 in Munich

There is a line in one of the songs I've recently written that goes... "This moment brought us here, so let me try to speak real clear, because I fear that things like this don't tend to last." At 12:01 AM on September 27th I was on a bus bound for Oktoberfest for my 22nd birthday, and I received a text message from Rebecca, an italian girl who lives in my dorm. She wrote, "Josh, have a fantastic birthday - just remember things like this don't tend to last." I smiled at the fact that she remembered those words and also because I knew exactly what she meant. 

Our departure was delayed around 1 1/2 hours because the event organizer, a girl named Fidan, was extremely late. Everyone was pretty antsy to take off, therefore angry at her when she arrived, until we found out that her apartment nearly burned down (candles, table, no lasting damage). All was forgiven, we got on board and took off. Aside from a few foreigners who decided to start the party early in transit - drinking and being obnoxious - most people sat quietly or tried to sleep. The bus got moving past midnight and was an overnight trip, so most of us just wanted to snooze and wake up in Munich. All in all, I guess you could say that the ride there was about as comfortable as any 8 hour bus ride can be. Sleep mixed with movement, darkened images drifting past the windows, quiet chatter and the ever-present hum of an engine.

I opened my eyes in Munich. Everyone was starting to come to, waking up others around them, scanning for signs of the largest beer festival in the world. It was around 8:45 AM (we had made better time than expected) and as we drew nearer to party central, we noticed hordes of people walking the streets. Girls in dirndls (authentic German dresses that accent the female figure well), groups of guys in liederhousen and others with giant beer shaped hats. True German spirit. We didn't really see too much of the actual city, but what I caught seemed nice, and I definitely plan to return to Germany soon. What I found most interesting was my absolute inability to comprehend the language. To me, German is about as familiar as Chinese, so despite my attempt to understand some of the content streaming by on signs and billboards, I got nothing. Not a problem, Oktoberfest is definitely an international party with no language requirement.

Initially, Analise, Mark and I formed a group and entered the spread out area that is Oktoberfest. Huge tents (more like small buildings) line the main avenue complimented by souvenir venders, food booths, and aspiring drunken people. There is one section that has rides, much like a town fair in the suburbs, but on a much bigger scale. We had looked at the tent websites before coming and knew where we wanted to go - the Hofbrau Festhalle. Our interest in this tent was peaked by its online description, which is as follows...

"The proprietors Margot and Gunter Steinberg know how to treat their guests well. It is not uncommon to already find liter glasses being raised to toasts and guests rocking back and forth to the music at midday. This is not least because Hofbrau guests come from all over the world. Americans and Australians feel especially happy here."

We found the tent (around 9:30 AM) and it was already packed with people, so much so that we couldn't get in. We didn't really know how it all worked, so we just sat at a table outside of the tent entrance, and were brought our first beers of the day (the German waitresses were excellent all day and made it tough to have an empty glass). We got in touch with our friends who were already in the area (they arrived on Friday and were staying 2 nights) and they joined us. Randomly, Analise ran into a friend of hers from home and he joined us (it really is a small world - the same thing happened to John in Cinque Terra). Even though the party outside was good, we knew where we had to go - inside the tent you could see and hear thousands of people singing, standing on tables, and participating in frequent mass toasts. A group of people started to gather in front of the locked doors, and Analise and her friend (Dave I believe) decided to do the same. At around 10:30, three officers opened the doors and let the small group in, including Analise and Dave. We were amazed and jealous, they had worked their way into the party. This motivated the rest of us (me, Mark, John, Anthony, Mike, 4 girls who were John's friends) to follow in their footsteps, and we walked up to the door. The main officer guy, we'll call him Ross (he looked like David Schwimmer), whistled us back and we had to stand around 20 feet from the main door. But the nine of us were up front, and people began to pack in behind us. We waited for a solid hour - but eventually a waitress came out and asked me how many we had. I told her "Nine," but she said that was too many. Not wanting to get passed up, I compromised, "Four." Sorry everybody. She escorted Mark, John, Tony and I around the building - and after getting denied by a few uptight door guards, one let us through. We walked through a kitchen, the waitress actually holding my hand, and emerged in what I can only describe as the largest party I have ever seen.

The huge tent was filled with tables that were filled with people that held mugs filled with beer. Some sat, some stood, some danced, but everyone smiled. There was a band playing on an elevated stage, both German music and modern songs. I found out that Europeans love the song "Hey Baby"; the same enjoyed by Americans at high school football games. "Haaaaaaaay. Haaaaay babay. I wanna knooooooooooooow if you'll be my girl!" When the band played that, pretty much all 8,000 people sang in unison. Food could also be ordered, the most popular dish being slow roasted chicken which seemed to be cooking in every corner of the event. We hung out until midday (around 4:00) and then left to walk around and see the rest of the fest. 

Walking by the rides, I decided it would be a good idea to get on the Spinner. For some reason no one wanted to join me, perhaps with scenes from the Sandlot fresh in their memory and the knowledge that alcohol and high velocity spinning usually don't mix well. Regardless, I got on, and can say with honesty that it was the most fun thing I did that day. There were no ill consequences from the decision, and while on the ride I took a ton of pictures to prove my achievement. 

After this, Mark and I decided to relax and eat. We got Schnitzel sandwiches which were awesome and laid by a tree for around an hour (partying from 9 AM until midnight can get rather exhausting). We met Bena (Canada), Rihanan and Melissa (Irish) and they hung out with us for a little bit. 

Eventually, Mark and I worked our way to a second, smaller tent. Getting in wasn't too difficult here, and as the sun started to go down, we had our ?th beer of the day. At this tent we made friends with a group of Germans, then a group of Australians, and finally a group of Italians. We also met an older American couple who found out it was my birthday and bought us drinks. After talking to them for a little bit, we found out that the man donated enough money to John Carroll University (a school where many of Mark's friends go) for them to build a dorm, which still has his name attached to it. I suppose to him, a 2 drink gift to 2 poor college students is chump change. But we very much appreciate it.

At the end of the night, we stumbled back to where the bus was and found everyone in a condition similar to ourselves (drunk and tired). We got once again on the bus, and I can't tell you how the trip back was, because I slept through the entire thing. All I can recall is waking up and realizing we were in Milan. 

It was a fantastic day and I encourage you to look at the pictures. Because it was my birthday, most of my friends were paying for my food and drinks which made it cheaper for me. Thanks friends. I don't know if I could do another day of it though - I feel like once was enough. But it was a great party and a great way to enter my 22nd year. 

Now, some shout outs. Mrs. Lewis, I talked to Billy and he thought you would appreciate a personal greeting from me. I'm really glad to hear you're keeping up to date on my travels, and when I get back, I'll be sure to bring you something nice.

Also, congratulations to the Faughnans and their beautiful baby boy, William Christopher. I don't know if it's a coincidence, but my middle name also is Christopher, and I feel I've turned out all right.

Everyone else, keep reading and I will keep writing. Prost!