Oktoberfest: Second time around

This was a much different Oktoberfest experience than last year.

Last year everything was new and we had to drink all the beer all the time!

This year, partly because we are old kids now, and also partly that we are in for a hectic week here and don't have time to be hungover, we took it easy.

On the way into Munich, we stopped for breakfast with our friends. A meal that was to die for - it was a wonderful recommendation from one of Matt's former coworkers and it was just outstanding.

They roast their own coffee there and obviously are skilled at latte art :-)

Everything on the plate is perfect - that's shaved apple on top of muesli, a bio egg, meats, cheeses, and a hash brown is hidden underneath it all. Mmm....

After checking into the hotel and taking a nap, we headed over to the Schneider Weisse brew house while we waited for the rest of our crew to get into town.

Matt got the goulash. At first I had food envy....

....and then my plate showed up. Five kinds of sausage, potatoes AND sauerkraut? I could eat this all day long.

Here's Matt in his dapper hat.

When everyone got into Oktoberfest and we found some small area to squeeze in and stand, we finally got our big beers.

It was packed and we mostly had to stand, but there were some super drunken Germans to talk to who were really into Matt and I. At one point one of our group came over to check on us, and then later another friend finally got me away (leaving Matt who claims that they are his new bestest friends ever).

....just a bit crowded....

Anyway, we were supposed to be up super early to wait in line and spend the day in a beer tent, but alas, some of our team couldn't swing it after one too many the night before. Oh well - Matt and I went for a great walk at this beautiful English garden next to the hotel during the morning.

But in the end, we did go into the fest - only briefly. Since it was Saturday, you could barely walk around and by the time we showed up, there were already a lot of insanely drunk people stumbling and passed out (the "day drinkers" I call them - they're the ones who were first in line at the beer tents in the morning and got to start drinking at 9am).

The boys did not plan the matching. But they all looked cute.

We really tried to find somewhere to hang out, but we decided we'd have better luck if we left the fest and went to an actual brewery/restaurant. It was a good call I think - we didn't have as many crowds (though there were plenty of silly drunken people who were saying all sorts of things around us), and we got to chill out a bit outside.

This time I had the goulash. And yes, it was as good as it looks.

Although the mega crowds were a little much this year, we were still sad about leaving Munich. It's quite a spectacle to behold, and the food is always top notch. We probably won't do another Munich Oktoberfest, but you can bet we'll be looking for other places in the U.S. to wear our spiffy clothes!

Bavarian Brewery Tour

On our way to Oktoberfest in Munich, we spent an afternoon touring the Eringer brewery. I highly recommend it - very thoroughly done and at the end you not only can try any 8 beers you want, but you get pretzels AND weisswurst (white sausage). Quite a bargain at 12 Euros.

When Matt and I were lost looking for parking, we ended up next to giant stacks of crates, so we had to take a picture (one of the last with our Focus!)

We're in Germany. That means safety vests for everyone! No hard hats required.

Sadly the guys had just stopped these machines, but they were still steaming.

This is part of the bottling area...

...and also where they clean the crates.

Speaking of crates... when the beers are put into the bottles and then into the crates, they live here where they get all good and tasty before being shipped away.

Everything in the red crates is for Germany-area consumption (because they will get the crates back). It's hard to see, but in the top shelf in the photo below, there are some wrapped crates that are shipped worldwide that don't include the red crates.

A description of all the beers they make.

We're all fascinated by the robot who keeps moving around and putting crates on shelves.

Next, on to the tasting! We were allowed to have ANY 8 beers they had on tap and sit there for about 2 hours. There were enough pretzels for each of us to have two at the table.

Content.

And oh, the sausages.... these babies are usually a Bavarian breakfast item and served with a pretzel, sweet mustard and beer (that's right, beer for breakfast). We were all stuffed, and they had the nerve to come around again and ask if anyone wanted MORE than the two sausages they already distributed to each person! Gah! I wish, they were awesome. I think this is one of my favorite German meals.

A mighty fine way to spend the afternoon.

The Black Forest

Part of our trip last week included a drive down to the Black Forest in Germany. We had heard how pretty it was and were not disappointed.

Our first stop was Triburg. The main attraction was the waterfalls a short walk from the center of town (and our hotel).

The views were really nice from our room. I wasn't expecting a balcony (nor was I expecting those church bells to ring every 15 minutes.)

Although the bed wasn't the most comfortable, and the towels were some of the scratchiest I've encountered, the breakfast was really tasty. And at the beginning of the day, that's what matters.

After settling in, Matt and I went for a mini hike around the falls, enjoying the balmy weather.

Squirrels are not common in Germany, but you can find them here (and pay one Euro for a bag of nuts to feed them if you wanted)

Which way to go? Easy or hard? Lame-o Matt wanted to go to the right.

He's a sassy hiker.

But it wasn't all that bad, though.

So pretty!

Ernest Hemingway also visited at one time, so they have a plaque.

The town is just a short walk away.

We really enjoyed listening to the sound of the water.

On the way to dinner, I was super excited to find a new little cuddle buddy - we haven't named this sweet little boar yet, but we think he's pretty cool.

Our second stop was to Freiburg. We walked around the cathedral before wandering around the open-air market and grabbing some lunch.

Mmm, hot dog....

Next week I'll review the second portion of our trip - Switzerland!!