Prost to Oktoberfest

München, Germany is where Oktoberfest is held each year and has been for the past 200 years. I happened to be in Europe for the 200th anniversary and attending the festival on the closing weekend. Where do I begin with talking about it? Well let me start of by saying that was probably one of the best weekends I have ever had. Left on Friday morning with a bus full of Americans studying abroad in Prague and stayed at an Australian run campsite. The campsite was a continuation to Oktoberfest with party all night long with a dj and unlimited beer. We slept in two person tents which were quite cosy but bearable. It was freezing cold at night but thankfully we came way too prepared. With a little complaining here and there about the bugs, hygiene, and camping in general,it was a really fun experience. Arrived in Munich, which means monk in German and they are the ones that invented beer, and headed straight to Oktoberfest. Let me just tell you that Munich normally has a population of 1 million, but during Oktoberfest it increases to 3 million. It is the largest festival in the world! Once in Oktoberfest, the grounds are divided in half, one side for beer tents and the other side is more festival like with rides, kiosks, and lots of food stands. Some of the beer tents hold up to 10,000 people! Basically it is a huge "tent" that is themed after the beer halls throughout the city which serve different beer. Inside the tent are many, many tables along with a band that plays American classics along with German ones as well and some chants. Later on in the day people usually get on the benches and dance the night away but are not allowed on the tables. That is pretty much the only rule for the weekend, no dancing on the tables because you will be kicked by security in a matter of seconds. I managed to get into 3 tents on the first day, Hofbräu Festhalle, Armbrustschützen, and Ochsenbraterei. Friday night was probably my favorite because around 5ish they start kicking you out because reservations start but we somehow managed to get into a tent but had no table and the only way to get beer is if you are sitting at a table. We met some really cool Germans. The thing with Oktoberfest is that people are so friendly and friends are made so quickly. It is like a huge happy family is a probably the best way to put it. Woke up before the sunrise to get to the grounds early to get a table and hung out at the festival all day before heading into Munich for dinner. After dinner, I toured the city at night and saw the actual Hofbräu beer hall. Munich has some beautiful buildings mixed in with newer ones as well, because a lot were blown up and rebuilt. Sunday was another day of exploring the city and English Gardens. We were walking in this pretty little neighborhood off the main street and there is a river and pond and beautiful gardens that are bigger than Central Park. OKtoberfest was a success.