Oktoberfest

Well last weekend we were in Munich for Oktoberfest…for opening day of Oktoberfest in fact.  Now I was expecting there to be lots of people but man, it was a mad house!  According to a news article there were 300K people there on Saturday alone.  The first keg was tapped at noon so we figured if we got there later in the afternoon we could possibly have a chance at getting into a tent as the first wave of people filed out.  We were meeting up with our new friends Stacey and Alex who weren’t arriving until later in the afternoon anyways so it should all work out perfectly.  No such luck.  We arrived at Oktoberfest and while there were definitely people exiting (not all on their own two feet) there was no way we were getting in.  We were fortunate though (after some patience and walking around) to get in to one of the biergartens.  Now it wasn’t the same as being inside the tent but it was still a fun atmosphere and better then not getting in anywhere at all.  We got our Maß (translation: liter) biers and enjoyed a few of those before the downpour happened.  Once we decided that it wasn’t going to let up, our time at Oktoberfest was over and it was off to a bar where we finished out the night. 

Now don’t get me wrong, it was crowded but not total craziness everywhere.  Nate and I had an enjoyable Saturday morning/afternoon.  We walked around a bit and found a little farmer’s market where we grabbed some lunch.  After a bit more wandering around we came across Augustiner in a little side alley not far from Marienplatz and enjoyed a few beers sitting outside on their patio.  We met another new friend, Mike from Chicago, and had a nice time chatting with him.  It was a pleasant little afternoon….and quite different than our time at Oktoberfest.

Overall we had a great time and it was definitely worth the trip.  We were at Oktoberfest in 2007 during the middle of the week and I’m going to say that’s the way to do it.  In 2007 it was crowded but we were at least able to get into a tent.  This trip we had the pleasure of seeing a drunk guy literally thrown out of a biergarten as we were trying to get in, numerous people practically passed out on the ground and plenty of people being carried out by their friends.  So if we do end up ever going again, I’m going to say it’s worth it to just take a day or two off of work and not deal with the craziness.

It's a Small World

It’s been yet another good week here in Zurich.  After our long weekend in London we had a weekend at home.  The weather cooperated with us on Saturday and after we both went running (so necessary with all of the chocolate and heavy food I’ve been eating) we decided to go up Uetliberg mountain.  There were great views of Zurich from the top and when we got there, we climbed an observation tower to get an even better view.  The views were amazing (all of Zurich and Lake Zurich) eventhough it was a somewhat hazy day.  It’s just a short train ride up on the s-bahn and within 30 minutes door to door, we were there.  The train ride was beautiful as you went a little outside of Zurich and into the trees and greenery.  You have the option of hiking up there (or down I suppose as well) which we opted out of this time.  But that could be a fun activity for another day. 

We then had a lovely date night that night, which I guess most of our nights are these days.  We went to this great outdoor place for pizza (since the weather was so nice).  Had a few beers, some yummy thin crust pizza and sat on their huge patio.  Then the rain started coming down and it was our cue to head out to a pub nearby that Nate had found.  It turned out to be a pretty fun place, playing good music and it even showed some college football. 

The next day we were invited to a Labor Day BBQ in Basel.  We were set up with this couple by a friend of ours that is friends with a friend of theirs (did you follow that?).  We took the hour train ride over to Basel where we were greeted with pouring rain.  Our umbrellas are sure getting good use over here.  The only parts of Basel we really saw were whatever we passed as we walked from the main train station to their apartment, which was right on the river Rhine.  It looked like a quaint little European city. 

We enjoyed a good ol’ American BBQ with hamburgers (complete with Best Foods mayonnaise!...I’m telling you the mayo here is definitely different although Nate says he can’t tell.  It has a lemon flavor in my opinion.), sausages, watermelon and beer.  We met some really nice people….a lot of them expats themselves.  Here’s where the small world part comes in.  It turns out that the wife of the couple that invited us over went to the same high school as me and graduated with my sister.  Small world indeed! 

Oh and we did go to a church in our neighborhood and listened to a whole mass in German.  I think we were the youngest in there by about 30-40 years as well.  It was a beautiful church, as most of them are here in Europe.

It’s definitely starting to feel like normal with regards to work.  Nate’s traveling again (Frankfurt for a night this week, Stockholm for two nights next week).  I’m excited that tomorrow is Friday and that we have yet another weekend ahead of us.  The days do go by quickly and I’m enjoying what I’m doing.  I’m still learning lots about Google Maps and the transit feature in particular.  It’s amazing how much goes into making all of that just work.  It’s definitely fun and interesting to be learning about a completely different part of the business.

We have a weekend at home again and then it’s marathon traveling for a few weeks after that.  We’re looking forward to all of it though as it will be busy but extremely fun getting to enjoy some good beer at Oktoberfest, seeing close friends at a wedding and exploring Madrid!!