“Humdinger” – Week V

“Humdinger” : a person, thing, action, or statement of remarkable excellence or effect.

If any of you get the chance ever to go to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany… TAKE IT IMMEDIATELY. I cannot even begin to describe the fun that went down in Munich over this past weekend, but it will always be memorable in my mind. Even if you aren’t into drinking beer with people from every corner of the world, the city of Munich is beautiful, there are castles all around the city, the people are wonderful and the public transportation is spotless!

Now, one thing I will warn you… if you are not a camper, definitely do not chose to camp here. The horror stories I could tell you about our experiences camping for 3 days with Stoke Fest are beyond abnormal. I am pretty sure showering upon my return to Rome was one of the most glorious events of the trip so far.

Also, we took the 12 hour bus ride with Bus2Alps from Rome to Munich and on the way back it was still light out all through Austria and this is what it looked like…

 

… pretty phenomenal, eh?

Anyways, one of my favorite parts of Oktoberfest was how many people you meet while you are there. We met Australians, Scottish, American, English, German (obviously), Japanese, Croatian and even some Italians. This past weekend (the 2nd to last weekend of the festival) seems to be the best time for those studying abroad to go. Oddly enough I was seated at a random table in the tent that happened to be the same table as a friend from high school who is studying abroad in Prague this semester. Can you say small world?

 

At one point I found myself enjoying the view alone, eating a German hamburger, riding a kids swing and being the oldest rider on there by about 10 years or so. Many people at this point would have most likely questioned their lives, but I was as content as could be. The swings overlooked the entire Oktoberfest area and it was thrilling to see just how many people had come out to celebrate! What I never expected was for Oktoberfest to be a combination of a theme park and a lot of very very large beer tents.

Finally, when making this trip, remember to pack warmly. None of us (of course coming from Rome) expected it to be so cold, but by god, it was.

Midterms are coming up this week and next and oddly enough I am excited for some tests! That’s what Rome will do to you, make you so happy even studying and learning is the utmost enjoyable.

Cheers!