Oktoberfest- Day 2

Having seen firsthand how crowded the tents get, we decided to get a jump on things and arrive early to claim one of the few first-come-first-serve tables. We should’ve guessed that the morning after the world’s largest alcohol festival was going to be fairly quiet. On the way in, we stopped for a quick breakfast of cold chicken schnitzel on a croissant only to stumble upon the ceremony that kicks off the second day celebration: the Traditional Costume and Hunter’s parade. We followed it from town into Theresienwiese and found a table to call our own.

The tent was less than an eighth full and we were the youngest people present by 25 years. Waiting for the foot traffic that was sure not to come for several hours, we played cards and humored ourselves until we could no longer.

We spent mid morning exploring the carnival rides and touring other tents. En route to a tent so traditionally Bavarian we had to leave because we stuck out too much, we met Rolf (pictured to the right) who was as eye catching outside the tent as we were within it. He ranks high on my list of favorite people met at Oktoberfest for no other reason than his unrivaled sense of fashion and genuine merriment.

The day before, we’d heard talk that one of the tents was popular with international guests so we figured we’d try our luck there. It was as large as the others and bustling with energy. Empty tables were still a hot commodity so we asked a young couple if we could join them at theirs. They didn’t mind at all and informed us that they were just about to leave. Ten hours later, Morgan and Shaun had become fast friends. The two live in Puerto Rico where Shaun is stationed with the Coast Guard and were rounding out their own travels as we began ours. We were lucky to have met them and spent the evening singing, dancing, joking, chatting, cheering, and messing up card tricks.

Looking for a different energy, the four of us found a (slightly) calmer tent playing less Backstreet Boys and Brittney Spears and more Tony Bennet and Neil Diamond. Still, folks danced atop tables and sang their voices hoarse. Shaun, who in many ways is a man after my own heart, inquired about a final beer. Around this same time we were told not to dance on top of the tables themselves, but to move down a step to the 10 inch wide, wobbly bench seats instead. Wanting to follow the rules, we complied. Our last beers of the night arrived and (no more than two sips in) Savannah and I fell victim to a fate all too common in the later hours of the festival. My wife under one arm and my newly filled stein in the other, the bench beneath us shifted with the momentum of our rug cutting and sent us belly first onto the table like fish on a ship’s deck. I’ll never forget the feeling of an entire beer cascading through my facial hair like a Bavarian baptism. Caught under the weight of one another, we struggled to get up and floundered about for what seemed like an eternity. I know what you must be thinking right about now, BUT to buy us back some credit, Savannah hadn’t had a sip to drink the entire day and I was still sharp as a tack...a Tic Tac. Once we made it back on our feet, we were escorted out and politely invited not to return to the tent.

As for our Bucket List, getting kicked out of Oktoberfest: CHECK. Morgan and Shaun met us outside where we put on our hats, removed our jackets, and snuck back in to dance away the last few songs on more stable ground. When the night ended, we helped the closing crew stack up tables and left for the train (in the right direction this time), parting ways with our new found friends.