As one of the final trips of my semester (geez, am I really saying that already?), I felt that a trip to Munich for the kickoff of its annual "Frulingsfest" was definitely in order. Springfest is a carnival in Munich, and also a beer festival. The bigger and more expensive beer festival comes with Oktoberfest in the fall, which evolved out of a royal tradition (so we learned). But, Springfest was going to have to do. And yes, it sure met expectations.
Although Berlin was not my favorite city I've been to, I thought I would give Germany one more shot, as the train is just so easy to use and Germany is a very important country. Munich is different from Berlin in almost every aspect. Just like New York and California are different states with vastly different cultures, Munich is the capital of the German state of Bavaria, home to some of Europe's richest traditions and best beer. Berlin is one of Germany's poorest cities, and Munich is one of the richest. Both cities experienced some heaving bombing during WWII, but Munich has been rebuilt in a much more "cozy" fashion, without the huge avenues and fast open spaces that make Berlin seem windy and lonely at times. Munich is also a smaller city, about the same size as Prague, so have a smaller city/town attitude with the people.
The "famous" clock in Munich called the Glockenspiel, which according to our tour guide is rated the number 2 worst tourist attraction behind Prague's astronomical clock; a market in Munich.
Bavarians are also much different from the few Berliners I met. That sentence should give you a clue as to the fact that we met many more Bavarians/ Munich people than in our previous time in Germany, as they were more friendly, welcoming, and warm than before. Everywhere we went, they did their best to speak English and help us out. Granted, it was a beer festival, so people were pretty cheerful to begin with. But nevertheless, it was nice to see.
Alright now, on with the weekend. Two of my roommates, Seth and Ahbra, and I took a later train Thursday night from Prague to Munich. Luckily for us, Munich is a train ride away, because the air traffic in Europe right now is in chaos due to the volcano. I have many friends who were planning on coming to Munich, but couldn't make it; there were also hundreds of American college students who made it to Germany from Florence, Barcelona, etc., but then had to scramble and pay lots of money to find alternative ways home. So yes, European flights are as messed up right now as you see on the news.
Anyway, we got to Munich pretty late, so we went to our hostel, where we had a really nice room for just the three of us, and hung out there before going to sleep. The next day, we wanted to do something educational on this trip (aka, not just the beer festival), so we found our old reliable free tour and visited the city.
Munich has a clock that is almost as overrated as Prague's is when it goes off. Like Berlin, many of the buildings were heavily damaged during WWII, so much of what we saw looked older or was made to look older than it actually was. It was definitely a western town, but still felt very cutesy or cozy. We saw many of Munich's important sites, from the old church that supposedly the devil helped build, to the tower where Hitler and Goebbels celebrated the Beer Hall Putsch by instigating Kristallnacht (the night of the broken glass - one of the worst pogroms in Jewish history), to the famous Hofbrauhus, a "royal" beer hall that is one of the most famous places in Munich (and that place is enormous).
The streets of Munich, and the famous Hofbrauhus logo on the side of the building.
I also learned something that I had been wondering since Munich, which was the question of how German schools deal with their past, especially when teaching history in the last 100 years. According to our tour guide, German history education is unequaled anywhere in the world. Besides knowing more about your own country's history than you do, he said that a recent poll showed 4 out of 5 German 10-year olds could have an intelligent conversation about Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. So, rather than shun their past, they spend more time in school talking about it than how long it took to happen. There are small memorials scattered throughout the city as well, reminding the Germans what happened to ensure it will never get that bad again.
By mid-afternoon, we grabbed a quick bite, then headed back to the Therienwiess, the park near our hostel where the festival was being held. It was a great carnival, complete with all the rides that make you throw-up because they spin so much, food and sweets galor, and lots of families during the day. We found the largest tent in the back of the fair, run by a beer company called Augustiner, and sat down just in time to watch the first keg being tapped (equivalent to throwing out the first pitch in baseball).
Seth and I in front of the Muchner Fruhlingfest, Munich Springfest, sign.
Honestly, during the first hour we were there, the three of us were intoxicated not by any liquid, but by the surroundings we were in. Maybe that sounds cliche, but it was so true. The atmosphere was so cheerful, as old and young Germans were simply enjoying their culture while listening to a German polka band. Plenty of food was being served; I'm still not sure how they were able to cook so many half-chickens and soft pretzels as to keep the place going.
And yes, the beer was probably the best one I had ever tasted. Fresh, cold, delicious...obviously there is a reason Munich is known for this.
A slowly rotating bar in the festival; a view of the Augustiner tent; most importantly, the pretzels and chicken.
We stayed for a while longer, then decided to check out other parts of the fair. But, we knew too many people who were back that the original tent, so after a while we went back to see them. A couple things were different by this point: first, it was dark out, so many families had gone home and instead it was more of a party atmosphere. Second, we actually had to wait in line to go in, because the place was so packed. Third, upon entering the tent, we could see tons and tons and people dancing on tables, singing, and being merry.
Me, Seth, and Ahbra at Fruhlingfest; very traditional Germans wait to serve beer from the first keg; I'm still not sure if this little girl was drinking beer or apple juice, but I'm thinking beer.
This wasn't just a case of American college kids going on a spring break-like trip to party (though there was an element of that, which added to the overall atmosphere I thought). Germans were living this up! Men and women were dressed in the traditional Lederhosen or old-fashioned German dress. There were all ages there, from kids my age to older Bavarians who had to be in their 70s or 80s.
The band had switched from traditional German music to a mix of German drinking songs and American pop music from today and oldies. They played everything from "Ein Prosit," a toast, to "Sweet Caroline" and the Black Eyed Peas. To be blunt, it is really hard to describe everything unless you were there.
As it got later, it got more and more crowded and rowdy.
That night, and also Saturday, were easily the highest average levels of drunkenness I will ever be around in my life. Seriously, ever. When you ordered beer, you ordered in LITERS. That is about 3 American beers per order. But, the thing about Bavarians (and Europeans in general it seems), is that they know how to handle themselves, drink, and have a good time. We rarely saw anyone who was "too" drunk that they couldn't stand or speak or function normally.
The tent closed at 11pm, so our original plan was to take a short rest at the hostel and then go out to explore some other nightlife. However, after our nap, Ahbra and I ended up going to another hostel and seeing my friend Jamie, who was in town also, and just hanging out there for a while. We were pretty tired, and wanted to be able to celebrate the full day in Munich Saturday. Unfortunately, my friend Carl's flight was cancelled from Barcelona. So, even though he was supposed to stay with us Friday-Saturday, he didn't make it.
Since we had seen most of the good sights of Munich the previous day, we decided to sleep in Saturday and just relax at the Frulingsfest all day. We went to a different tent first, about 1 pm, to have some lunch and pretzels and enjoy the music. I must say, the chicken and potatoes were excellent. And of course, the pretzels were amazing. I have a slight obsession with soft pretzels at home.
The Hippodrom tent, where we had lunch and listened to traditional Bavarian music.
Since springfest is smaller than Oktoberfest, there were really only the two main tents. So eventually, mid-afternoon, we went back to the other one. Though it was early, there were already hundreds of people on tables (the tent could hold several thousand, it was enormous) dancing and having fun. When we got closer, we realized that it was a huge reunion of Big Ten students from Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Penn State. During breaks in the music, school cheers broke out. Almost every American studying abroad in Florence seemed to be there, many from Barca whose flights weren't cancelled, and a few from Prague.
So, that was an interesting experience I'll have in my head from the trip. Since it was really crowded, none of us really wanted to give up our table once we finally found one, so we took turns sitting and having food and drink and walking around the festival or town.
Soon enough, it got dark again, and things got crazy just like the night before. It was one of the most fun nights I've ever had, as literally not a single person was sad or in a bad mood. We met too many Germans too remember all their names that night, who taught us everything from Bavarian customs to German toasts.
Dancing on tables was so fun!
We saw some of the most random things ever as well. One guy was moving around on roller skates (which security wasn't too happy about, but whatever). People were dressed up as both a chicken and a cow, and also super mario. One of the waiters, who we assumed were all German, turned out to be from Connecticut; he must have German parents or something. The band played the Beach Boys, and Seven Nation Army a lot (which is a Big Ten football staple). I saw people from Michigan who I didn't even know were studying abroad.
You can see the band, and also the people dancing in a mix of "regular" and traditional Bavarian clothes.
Such was Frulingsfest in Munich.
Sadly, we departed back for Prague early Sunday (though again, extremely lucky we could take a train). If it seems like this post is all about one big party in Munich, I'd like to say you are wrong, but nope, it basically was. I'm allowed to have a weekend like this once in a while, plus the cultural traditions we witnessed were astounding.
It's not that we went looking to simply party. The Germans/Bavarians have this as a HUGE part of their lives. They all know every single drinking song the band played, and probably have known them from an early age. Bavaria is a special place, and definitely worth visiting sometime (Oktoberfest, yes, if you can book a hotel room early enough or are willing to pay the jacked-up prices as hostels).
I'm back in Prague now for two weeks, with one more trip planned to Vienna and Budapest the last weekend in April. Again, feel free to make comments or send me an email/facebook. Until then-
PROST!
For most people who have stayed in a hostel before, typically the first characteristic they will think of is dorm rooms.
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