First Stop: Oktoberfest

Susi & me in our dirndls

After a long journey without much sleep, I made it to Munich...and the first order of business was to find a dirndl.  I have always wanted my own traditional Bavarian dress, and now was the time to get one! 

So, my friend Susi took me shopping to find one.  We started off at a department store (yes, they have an entire section of the department store just for dirndls), where I tried on a few different options.  My favorite was a cute black one with white polka dots.  But, I really wanted a purple one, obviously!  And dirndls in the department store are expensive, up to 300€!  Thus, we headed down the street to try a different store.

The dirndl consists of 4 parts: a dress, a blouse, an apron, and a ribbon.  Some modern dirndls have metal chains with charms on it instead of a decorative ribbon.  And most modern dirndls also have a zipper, while the more traditional ones have buttons.  One thing I never realized until I went shopping for a dirndl, is that the blouse is not full-length...it only covers the bust!

The next store we found was completely devoted to dirndls and lederhosen, so there were a lot more options.  It was a mix-and-match store, so prices varied based on which dress, blouse and apron you purchased.  I tried on several more dirndls here, but the winner was a purple one, of course!  I found a light purple apron the exact same color of the dress, but it was 40€...so instead I chose a complimentary navy blue apron for only 18€.  Susi already had her own dirndl, so she had fun helping me find mine.  She also guessed my size right away, apparently I'm a 38 in Germany.

After eating lunch and walking around München a little more, we headed back to Susi's apartment to get ready for Oktoberfest!   Susi just moved to Munich a couple months ago, so this was her first time attending Oktoberfest too.  But each little town in Germany has their own small-scale festival, so the atmosphere is similar.  It's like the county fair versus the state fair...same thing, only bigger.

And Oktoberfest was HUGE!  There were so many people and lots of activity.  We met one of Susi's friends at a Biergarten and squeezed into a table.  Susi's boyfriend had told us the alcohol content of Oktoberfest beer was more than usual, so we just had a radler (half beer, half lemon-lime soda) and a brezn (pretzel).  Some other friends showed up later, so we had fun socializing.

Lebkuchen hearts

My assessment of Oktoberfest is that everyone should experience it once.  Yes, there were many drunk people who obviously came to the event specifically to get wasted.  But I would say the majority of people just want to have a good time.  There is music, dancing, games, beer, and people from all over the world.  I would love to go back some time, but until then...I'll just wear my dirndl at a local festival!

Lots of people at Oktoberfest!