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At Oktoberfest

Early Monday morning I got back from Munich, Germany and the biggest party in the world: Oktoberfest. The festival was amazing and I had such a great time. I went with four friends from my program by bus (eight hours in a cramped bus seat is not something I want to ever do again) and we got there early Friday morning. The first thing that surprised me about Oktoberfest was that it is actually a huge carnival with amusement rides, game booths, and families galore. The beer tents are secondary to the carnival but where we spent most of our time (obviously). The tents are actually huge buildings and are absolutely ridiculous inside. We had to bribe waiters to get us in but when we did it was well worth it. There are literally thousands of people in each tent from all over the world singing, dancing, eating and drinking. The beer was some of the best I’ve ever had, the chicken was delicious and the people were insane. There is a big band in each tent playing German drinking songs and random American songs (I must have heard “Take Me Home Country Road” a dozen times while I was there). The first night we went to Haufbrau House which is the most touristy one but the second day we got into to a tent where we were pretty much the only Americans and we stayed there all day. It was a blast to hang out with drunk people from all corners of the globe! Also, there were people of all ages inside the tents and I’m pretty sure I saw some 12 and 13 year-olds downing liters of beer. All in all Oktoberfest was an incredible experience.

Inside the Tent

On our last day in Munich we got up early to visit the concentration camp Dachau, about an hour from the city center. Having learned so much about the Holocaust over the course of my life, it was unreal to see the camp and hear the stories of the people who lived and died there. The most affecting part for me was the crematorium building where the bodies of the dead were burned and where prisoners were gassed and killed before cremation. It was a haunting place but I am glad that I was able to go there and to learn more about the legacy of the camps. These next two weekends I am in Florence but then my parents are coming for my birthday and we are heading to Venice. After that I am off to London for a week for my fall break. I will write again soon!

Gate to Dachau- Work Makes You Free

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