Munich Oktoberfest - First Night

We arrived in the rain to Munich. Dammit. No rain, though, will hold us back from hitting the tents. We left the hotel for a soggy walk to the Theresienwiese, which is essentially the inner ring/circle where all the massive tents are. There are about 15 tents - each one built differently, by different families, emphasizing a unique aspect to Oktoberfest. Some are known for a particular decoration. Or a particular menu. Or a certain atmosphere - whether you'd find celebrities, all Italians, or families.

By the time we arrived to the grounds, approximately 4:00 p.m. local time, all tents were at capacity. Meaning, 6,000 to 7,000 folks per tent. Unreal! We thought it best to use the opportunity to browse around the different tents, check out what each one was about and go from there. We can always order a beer in the biergarten, as soggy as those were.

Eric donned appropriate headgear for our first night.
















This is the Hofbrauhouse tent. Spectacular decorations. Those are chandeliers made with hops.

We also saw Hippodrom, which Paris Hilton made famous last year.
















We had a couple of biergarten beers, not steins, and had some fabulous roasted chicken. Man, that was the best chicken ever. They literally take it off the roaster right there, cut it while its piping hot, stuff it in a bag and throw in some obligatory paper napkins and wetnaps, and that's it. Hot chicken. In a bag. Great concept.








The lebkuchen displays were amazing. Apparent tradition to wear these large decorated cookies, similar to a gingerbread, around your neck - all in various German phrases. Of course, we only knew a couple, so made sure we bought the ones we could decipher. Yes, they are edible, but you shouldn't eat it until after Oktoberfest.