I lived in Munich for a couple of years and have experienced the drinkafest crazython that is the Oktoberfest up close and personal. Think of football-field sized tents packed end to end with Dreidl and Lederhosen-wearing Bavarians who are drinking out of 12 inch high beer steins until all their inhibitions have been kicked to the curb. Then sprinkle in a couple of thousand Japanese and Italian tourists, pig meat, oompa music and pretzels bigger than your head, and you're starting to get the picture. This video brings it all back home.
I used to have a parade of visitors to my tiny apartment every Oktoberfest and my old friend Alfred summed it up nicely, when he stumbled in my front door early one morning. "I remember going into Oktoberfest, and I remember a ride on the subway. And that is all." For my part, I remember realizing that it was time to move home to America when I was seriously contemplating parting with a good chunk of my wages to buy a dirndl.
Oh, but I miss it.
So on Saturday I'll be heading out to the Dimond Oaktoberfest, at the corner of Macarthur and Fruitvale. We'll park the kids at the Root Bier Tent and try some of the American craft biers. Maybe I'll bake us gigantic heart shaped gingerbread cookies that say "Ich Liebe Dich" to wear around our necks. Eins, zwei, drei, besaufert!
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