Munich / Stuttgart
Munich, Germany
September 21st-26th
Taylor and I left Sam's place and headed towards the bus station. We got there in time and settled into our seats. It was supposed to be an 8 hour ride to Munich. The ride was fine. We had WiFi and our bus driver stopped so we could eat some lunch. He wasn't as helpful as other drivers but we managed.
Unfortunately, we were arriving to the city during the beginning of a huge match and our driver did not want to take us all the way to the correct stop. Not to mention we were over an hour late at this point and about an hour from where we were supposed to be. Taylor and I were left at a train station and had to wing it from here on out. After some investigation, we figured out which way we were to be going. We were tired, hungry, and a bit agitated by the time we arrived at our AirBNB. Luckily, our host was welcoming and very kind. Her name is Kornelia. She welcomed us much later than anticipated and instantly made us feel at home. She showed us our room and recommended a place nearby to eat. It was really good.
The next morning we were on a mission to eat a good German meal and to find Oktoberfest outfits. We found a pretty popular restaurant and had lunch. I got white sausage and Taylor got Currywurst. Apparently, I ate my sausage all wrong. After looking around I realized everyone peeled it out of its clear casing.. I did not do this. It explains the weird looks I was receiving. I learned quickly.
Then we went shop to shop to find outfits. We were unaware of the magnitude that everyone gets dressed up. Our host let us know we would probably be the only ones not wearing an outfit. She was right! We found a little shop, tried the outfits on, and ended up walking out with them on. Everyone on the streets were already wearing them.
We walked back to our AirBNB and got ready to explore the festival. We really didn't know what to expect. We followed the crowds of people in their dresses and lederhosens. We must have missed a parade because we saw many horses dressed up as we were walking over.
Once we got inside we were so surprised! There were rides and food everywhere. It was like an amusement park! There were many beer tents as well. Tay and I walked around looking at all of the options we had. We ended up walking into a tent and had a seat. We each ordered a beer which came in one size only, 1 liter. There was a band playing songs and people were singing along with them. It was such a fun thing to see.
After a while and a couple more beers, people were starting to get up on their seats to sing and dance! It was cool.
We decided to go check out another tent. Little did we know in the time we left one tent and got to another the party would have picked up! Everyone was up on their seats singing and cheering. There are many songs telling you to "prost".
We squeezed our way into a table and joined the party. The people we joined were nice and showed us what to do when. We were surprised how many songs we knew!
After and eventful and tiring day we headed back to the apartment and called it a night. The next morning we were definitely feeling all the fun we had the night before. We ended up taking it easy. We made an adventure out of our simple day. We walked to the center for some exercise and fresh air. We walked to Aldi in search of soup and breakfast items. While there we ended up getting much more than planned. Because Tay and I grew up eating Vienetta ice cream with Grammy, we were STOKED to find it in Germany!! We never see it anymore at home and trust me, we have searched. Naturally we bought the XL PARTY SIZE along with the rest of our things. While out on our walk we passed by a burrito restaurant and knew we had to add it to our easy day. We bought burritos to eat for lunch and made our way back home. Luckily, the day was a bit gloomy so we watched a movie. Later that evening, Kornelia made it home from work and we all met each other in the kitchen. We ended up chatting for a while and eventually made soup. It was nice having such a friendly host. We all ate the soup and enjoyed our time together.
The next morning we were ready for another day of Oktoberfest activities. We woke up feeling refreshed. We got up, ate breakfast, showered and got dressed in our outfits again. We walked to the festival with everyone else on the streets. The weather was much nicer. Because we only made it in a few tents a couple nights before, we decided to walk into the rest to see all the decorations. We also had our hearts set on enjoying at least one rollercoaster. There was one that reminded us of the "Mouse Trap" ride we used to ride in Myrtle Beach while visiting Grammy and Grampa. Of course, we got in line with all of the kiddos and their parents to have our chance at nostalgia. It was much more frightening than we remembered. I can't wait to see what Taylor's GoPro video looks like!
After the rollercoaster, we realized many of the tents were filling up and decided to park it for a while. We were lucky to get sat at a table outside. Eventually we had the table to ourselves after the people we were sharing with left. This did not last long. A group of 6 people joined us shortly after. Little did we know we would be hanging with some of them the rest of the night! Selina quickly became a friend. She explained many songs and traditions to us. This was helpful because they play a few select songs over and over again. It is definitely more fun knowing the lyrics and singing along with everyone.
A few beers and a lot of laughs later, we decided to head to another tent. We were told this one was called the international tent. This was a totally different experience. The inside was at capacity so naturally there was a line outside to get in. Apparently, if you are German, it is much easier to get inside. This is what we heard anyway. Needless to say, Selina walked up to the front of the line, worked some magic and told them we were all German. We walked right in. The line we passed wasn't to happy, but what can you do? We walked inside and saw that it was a mad house! We worked our way to the center, got a beer, and joined the crowd in singing until the night was over! Selina left a little early to meet up with her sister. Tay and I followed the crowd to an area with a few bars. We hung out for a bit but eventually made our way back to the apartment. We were very tired and needed a good nights sleep.
The next morning, Taylor and I ate some leftover soup and set out to do a little bit of shopping. We knew we would be sending a package home soon which means we would have a little more space in our packs for souvenirs. We always have fun when we have no real plan for the day. We are open to any and all ideas. This day of random shopping and wandering ended up being quite nice. We got everything we set out for. It is safe to say it was a successful day. We topped it off by sharing some pizza and headed home. We had to pack up and get ready for our journey to Stuttgart the next day.
Stuttgart, Germany
September 26th-27th
When we woke up on our last morning, our normal routine took place. We showered, packed, scarfed some food and were ready for our next adventure. On our way out, we noticed a note written by Kornelia. She had laid out a map with directions on how to get to the train station. She knew she would be at yoga when we had to leave in the morning.
Tay and I had planned to grab another burrito on our walk to the train station. Yes, these burritos were very good. We made it to the train station in about 30 minutes. This was a little confusing for us because there were 2 trains right next to each other on the same track to the same place. Luckily, we figured it out with a little bit of help and were on our way to Stuttgart. In about three hours, we were there! After navigating to the hostel and getting everything situated we set out for dinner. We ended up eating "American" food at a restaurant next door and it was good! I also got a German IPA. Our waiter was constantly joking with us and it make the experience that much better. Taylor also ended up giving him a USD because he didn't have one. He was very happy and it made us happy.
We ended the night with a beer in our hostel and then went to bed.
Peace & Love,
Savannah