Down from the mountains and into the fray - Oktoberfest in Munich

The train out of Innsbruck was, of course, on time as I shuttled through the mountains in the pouring rain and fog towards Bavaria. It was quiet, only myself and one older gentlemen with his feet up gently snoring a few rows back. But as soon as we crossed into Germany, stop by stop, the train filled up with liederhosen and dirndl wearing party-goers, each with a beer or two in hand, the sound of caps popping and bottles clinking 'prost'! By the time we hit Munich’s main train station, there was a sea of slightly inebriated, happy Oktoberfesters splilling out and onto the streets. I would like to thank my Four Canadian Sirens of Oktoberfest - Jess, Jenn, Leslie and KJ for convincing me to come, for meeting me at the Metro station and then whisking me off directly to the fair grounds. The rain was a light sprinkle by then, but the grounds were easy to find, just follow the throngs of traditionally dressed party goers! The first thing we saw was some poor young woman, barefoot and very drunk, puking her guts out at the front entrance gate. It was 11 am! Welcome to Oktoberfest! Much like any fall fair, there are rides, fast food, souvenir trinkets and an atmosphere of celebration, but most people are here for the beer. Six giant breweries of Munich dominate this festival: Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbrau, Spaten, Augustiner, Lowenbrau, Paulaner - and each has several huge tents situated around the fair grounds, where one can wait for hours in order to gain admission. Once inside, however, the party begins. Beers are served only in one liter ceramic or glass steins at 9 Euros a pop, with the wait staff generally tipping themselves a Euro if you hand them a ten without asking. The beer tends to be the special Oktoberfest varieties made for the event. After one of these it is not hard to join right in with the singing, dancing, music, eating and generally merriment of the exuberant and tipsy participants. After two or three though, well, you are on your own! In reality, Oktoberfest is a beer soaked spectacle of surreal proportions. The crowds on the grounds are thick and drunk - this is especially true on the weekends. I understand the weekdays are a little more civilized. Still, for a festival of this magnitude, there were surprisingly few garbage cans on the grounds, never mind recycling bins. Many people bring their own bought beers too, so along with the puke and debris strewn everywhere, there are broken beer bottles and shards of glass from attempted stolen steins. The party spills out into the city centre when the tents close at 10 pm. Last Saturday there was a near riot, as police stormed the grounds to break up fights, cart off passed out revelers on stretchers and clear the grounds. Meanwhile, if you did not have reservations or tickets to the many events at the many beerhalls, then you were on the streets drinking or in the metro with the singing, inebriated throngs of foreigners and locals who carried on partying regardless. Unable to gain entrance to any of the popular places, Leslie, Jenn and I, with two other Calgarians in tow, Sandra and Cody, managed to slip down a side alley and up a few flights of stairs to find a local haunt virtually unknown to tourists. Though busy, the service was friendly, the food great, the music cool and the Austrian Blau Zweigelt red wine was just the thing to top off our night.