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So, last night was our last night in Zurich, and for the first time Nick and I decided to pre walk the route to the train station so where we knew where we were going. Sounds like a great idea? It had the makings of a great plan - we walked out the route, knew where we were going - it was all going swimmingly. Then came the brilliant idea of pre-buying tickets - this was the downfall of the plan. It was only AFTER I had paid my 6.20 Franc that we realized that you couldn't prebuy tickets and I had just wasted $8 on a ticket I couldn't use… DAMN! Lol
Following on from the ticket incident, Nick decided he wanted some dinner so we headed to a place we had passed earlier that day. The special Nick was hankering for was Pferdfillet - or pony fillet… that's right, Nick ate Mr Ed… the waiter was really nice and spoke to me in Spanish, so it's good that it's coming in handy still!!
After Nick's dinner we headed back to the hostel to pack our bags for our early start (needing to be at the airport at 8:30am) and to get our final MTV fix… Hahaha.
Waking up this morning to the sound of pouring rain was at first relaxing, and then when I realized that we had to walk in the open streets to the train station, REALLY distressing… lol. Praying for the rain to stop as we got ready, Nick and I headed out with our even heavier packs… needless to say we both got absolutely drenched, but made it to the airport on time. Check in was another potential disaster with neither of us sure how much our bags would actually weigh after a few shopping excursions - mine was under 20kg (WOOHOO - 19.3 still counts!!!) and Nick's was over until he did some strategic repacking into my handbag. Wandering through the airport we saw Sprungli (the café we got the luxemburghli from) which served to make me feel immediately ill…
Two planes later we made it to Munich!!!! It was easy enough to get to the train station, but unfortunately once again the best laid plans went awry… I SWEAR that I looked at the hostel number when we were on the train, but it wasn't until after we were standing outside 2 Arnulfstrasse that I saw the number was 102… so we had just walked 58 buildings in the wrong direction… we got the train back to where we had started our walk, and set off in the opposite direction, arriving about 10 minutes later… SORRY NICK! Hahaha - that'll learn you not to make any notes on where we're going and how to get there though! *Evil chuckle*
So, after checking in at AO Hostel (so far only one other person in our room!) we headed off to check out Oktoberfest! It is NOTHING at all like what I had expected… I think I was picturing lots of drunken louts, massive marquees with banners across them, dirt pathways all in a big field… the reality is VERY different. There were HUNDREDS of people making the pilgrimage into Oktoberfest, and there were THOUSANDS already drinking at 4:30pm when we got there. It was much less the alcohol fueled event I envisioned, and much more like a MASSIVE festival! My favourite part so far would have to be the locals dress. Almost all the locals are dressed in traditional costumes with lederhosen as far as the eye can see! With so many people dressed up, all the tourists stick out like sore thumbs in their normal clothes - I've never felt like dressing up so much in my life! Hahaha. As well as the festive locals there are all of the RIDES at Oktoberfest… there must be at least 20 different ones, and littered through out what I am now going to call the carnival which is what it really is… there are heaps of sideshows, skill testers, strong man competitions, and souvenir stands. There are also food stalls as far as the eyes can see selling fish, sandwiches, bratwurst, sugared nuts, fairy floss, crepes, waffle, pommes frittes… you get the idea! Nick got sucked in by the 1/2m bratwurst, while I was sold by the nutella crepes… yummmm! Tonight we're having a quiet one (for now!) while we get our washing done and ready for the rest of the trip. The halls (I forgot to mention they're not tents at all, their MASSIVE buildings crammed with tables and bench seats, and thousands of singing people waving bier steins as far as you can see!) open at 9am tomorrow, so we're hoping to get down early and jump on a table to get some drinks. The catch is, you don't get served if you're not sitting down at a table.
So, that's it for my first impressions of Oktoberfest - I can't wait to get back their tomorrow, and get into it! Bring on the STEINS!
Miss you and love you all heaps!!! Only 9 days to go… can't believe it…
XoxoX
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