{"id":10430,"date":"2014-09-30T05:22:37","date_gmt":"2014-09-30T05:22:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/?p=10430"},"modified":"2017-10-17T10:47:16","modified_gmt":"2017-10-17T10:47:16","slug":"oktoberfest-secrets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/oktoberfest-secrets\/","title":{"rendered":"Oktoberfest Secrets"},"content":{"rendered":"

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(Beware – this is a picture heavy post… \u00a0 You have been warned!!)<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are plenty of things that you should know about Oktoberfest if you want to look like a seasoned visitor, or perhaps even a local (at a stretch). \u00a0The following might help…<\/p>\n

1) \u00a0 Do not stand up on a bench with a bier in your hand. \u00a0 A lesson learned by Mr R last Saturday, at a gathering with a group of friends (sans enfants obviously) in the Armbrustschutzen Festhalle… \u00a0 Stuck at the end of a bench – and in an effort to swap places with the person opposite, he stood up. \u00a0 I will never get over the look of horror on his face when it dawned on him that the thousands of people (and this is no exaggeration, the place was packed and it fits 7,500!) suddenly cheering, were doing so for him – in anticipation of him downing his entire Ma\u00df\u00a0(a litre) in one… He managed it, but he won’t be repeating that mistake in a hurry!<\/p>\n

2) \u00a0You could avoid the main festival altogether, and head for the much more family friendly Oide Wiesn (Old Oktoberfest – held on the same site!) instead, for a day filled with traditions, plenty of nostalgia, and quite hysterical signage.<\/p>\n

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And this was how we spent Sunday with the Small People – their first ever Oktoberfest visit in the (almost) 3 years that we have been here (we usually opt to take them to the quieter Fruhlingsfest<\/a> instead!)<\/p>\n

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From what I can gather (and for those in the know – do correct me if I am wrong) the Oide Wiesn started back in 2010 on the 200th anniversary of Oktoberfest. \u00a0 The organisers were planning on holding it every seven years (they like seven year things<\/a> here) but it proved so popular that it is held every year, and to think of the thousands of Oktoberfest tourists that just walk straight past!<\/p>\n

It’s also the only place on the entire site where you can still buy a\u00a0Ma\u00df for just under \u20ac10, and with most of the traditional rides and attractions costing a bargain \u20ac1 each, it’s not hard to understand why it’s so popular… \u00a0 \u00a0Some of these have to be seen to be believed too! \u00a0 Our particular favourites were The Caterpillar (hailing from 1926), featuring a bright green hood that covers the carriages a minute or so before the ride ends – complete with big sign above from a more innocent time that reads “kisses allowed”…<\/p>\n

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Just beyond the sweetest (and oldest) shooting gallery I have ever seen lies The Velodrome, a festhalle complete with a centre with wonky bikes to ride. \u00a0 \u00a0A friend of mine watched an incredibly elderly gentleman glide past everyone else as they were busy falling off. \u00a0 From what we could see on Sunday, it was just everyone falling off.<\/p>\n

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And when you’ve had your fill of historical rides, and traditional attractions (they are always so sweet with children at these things by the way – letting them “cheat”, and always handing over small prizes whatever the outcome!) then there are several traditional bier tents to relax in where it actually feels a little like going back in time. \u00a0 As much fun as the huge main Oktoberfest tents can be, these ones are definitely more “civilised” at times,\u00a0as there aren’t so many of the usual “bier visitors” in evidence, and unlike the others there is usually traditional dancing etc. too.<\/p>\n

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Our day at the Oide Wiesn began bright and early in the thick fog of a morning, in order to retrieve our car parked nearby the day before. \u00a0 And although it was torturous getting up, it worked in our favour as we didn’t have to queue to get in (entrance is \u20ac3 but that comes with a wrist band allowing you to come and go as you please – and it really is worth the paltry fee!). \u00a0As the morning progressed and the sun came out, so did the crowds, and it wasn’t long before we were beginning to pine for a bit of space…<\/p>\n

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We made our way out, snaking through the crowds of the main festival, and heading up the steps past Bavaria herself (busy keeping an eye over the proceedings below) and then (thanks to a little tip from my friend Rachel at Arts in Munich<\/a>), we cut through the woods behind, and on to the Augustiner Bier Garten for a steckerlfisch (barbecued mackerel in this instance), a couple of giant brezen, and absolutely no crowds whatsoever, for lunch.<\/p>\n

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It was definitely one of those blissful afternoons that will remain forever etched in the memory of our time here – if not for the odd conker clonk on the head from the canopy of horse chestnut trees above. \u00a0 \u00a0 And just in case you need to know such things, \u00a0dirndl aprons make very good conker gathering implements apparently…<\/p>\n

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