Oktoberfest.

Just got back from the first night of Munich Oktoberfest, I have to say that it was beyond anything I could have imagined, a few thousand Germans packed tightly into a beerhall with a big band playing ACDC and Brian Adams numbers for the singalong. - Weird or what. Absolutely great food (Half a chicken or a pork knuckle - Schweinhackse) - no room for dainty dishes here!! or vegetarianism either. We ate at the Weisse Brau house [please excuse lousy spellings] in Munich center, like most of these places if pork is not your thing then you were a bit stuffed! Ratskeller was also very good - except for the huge police presence for a prre election rally! All in all, Munich would be a great city to visit at any time, the Oktoberfest, well, I'll put it down as one of the things that everybody should do once in their lives before they die!

Reply to
<freeminer
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Reply to
The Submarine Captain

It's a bit dull at 8 on a Sunday morning when a late sleeper train means you've missed the infrequent onward connection for Zagreb. We found beer on sale for breakfast, though :-)

Reply to
Arthur Figgis
Reply to
The Submarine Captain

That's the advice I would have given you before you left, if you'd asked :-)

I love drinking in Munich, but avoid it when the Oktoberfest is on. High prices, short measures, no service whilst you're standing, and a lot of unfriendly Bavarians. Don't forget that all the visitors are invading "their" festival. They don't!

Reply to
Mike Roebuck

And in your view, does this unhappy situation apply to the Cannstatter Volksfest? I'm not having a dig here, I was thinking of going next week (just an excuse to do the 'special service only' U11 route, you understand). We certainly didn't have a problem getting a reasonably priced room in Stuttgart. Mind you, I haven't seen it yet...

Dave

Reply to
Dave Spencer

I don't think it does, although I've never been to it. I'll ask a pal of mine whose band may be playing there. (The beer's better in Bavaria, though.......)

Reply to
Mike Roebuck
Reply to
The Submarine Captain

Dave,

Make sure to seek out Calwer Eck-Brau, a Stuttgart local beer

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It's an unfiltered pils (kellerbier) that I found to be wonderful. I had it at a business lunch and was limited to

2 half liters due to the company, but I very much wanted to stay and have many more.

Rick Cleveland USA

Reply to
Rick Seibt

I've just returned from it too, and found the atmosphere absolutely excellent - perhaps earlier in the festival they aren't yet fed up with all the visitors, or maybe you were there at a weekend?

I liked the "Ochsenbraterai" tent, where they roast a whole Ox and serve it up, I didn't have time to get a pig knuckle, unfortunately, but I've had them in Dusseldorf and at the in-laws before.

Do once seems a good plan, the beer isn't that interesting but works, it's slightly pricey - but has no admission fee. Mostly it's like an oversized funfair with a heavy German touch and singing in the tents.

Reply to
Simon Cooper

In message , Rick Seibt writes

Thanks for the tip, Rick. In fact I've been to the pub several times, it being handily situated by Stadtmitte S-Bahn station to use up any spare time on the way back to the airport. For your amusement, have a look at this page for a very different opinion of the beer:

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Dave

Reply to
Dave Spencer

No. It was midweek, I was at a table in the Augustiner marquee with some South Africans, and the adjoining table was all Bavarian. When we got to standing on the seats and linking arms, the lady on my right said something to me in German, I responded in German, and then she said "Sie sind ja auch kein Bayer, Sie" ("You're no Bavarian, either"), let go of my arm and turned away to her friends.

Don't get me wrong - I have some lovely Bavarian friends, but they're not from Munich.

Reply to
Mike Roebuck

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