prost! ii

At Oktoberfest, Sunday in the Braurosl tent is the main event (technically they are tents, but you'd never know it. The "tents" are massive permanent-seeming buildings that go up in the summer and come down in November). It was a very early morning, getting to the tent around 9am to meet my friends Richard and Marcus. While the tram there was empty, once on the grounds the crowds were already streaming in, and entering the tent at 9am, it was already nearly full. A lot of bleary eyes at our table. It was hard to fathom a beer, but a plate of weisswurst helped get things off to a good start. It was still a few hours before the band arrived, and that's when the party really got into full swing. Most of the time is spent standing (and jumping and dancing) on the benches and tables. It was fun to know and recognize so much of the schlager and be able to sing along, but obviously my favorite was when they played "the Lasso song" from the post below (as I call it) throughout the night - much to Richard and Marcus' amusement to see me somewhat knowing the dance as well. (I shot a couple short videos to give you a taste of the songs; I will try to post those later.) As the night ended, the group left the tent and I was forced on a couple crazy german rides to cap the night (forced, I tell you!). Again, an amazing and exhausting day, but fun like I can't begin to explain, and can't ever express how lucky I feel to be able to have made the friends I have here and share experiences like this.