Day 13, Sunday, September 23, 2018

Itinerary: Berg to Munich to Berg

Time awake: 8:15

Odometer (in kilometers/miles) at start: 12608/7834 (= 9/24 - 18km to Starnberg Nord station & back)

Weather: Sunny & warm during the day, torrential rain in evening

Steps: 14995

Asleep:

Map Link(s):

Video Link(s): Lowenbrau beer hall #1, #2, #3, Hacker-Pschoor

Yesterday morning had been the first since Berlin where we didn’t begin our day with a sumptuous breakfast provided by our lodger. As might be supposed, we grown most fond of this ritual, and thus were happy to resume it this morning. The Hotel Schloss Berg put out a spread to rival the best of them, and it no doubt offered the best view from its dining room—that being of the Starnberger See.

After breakfast, we were still in a quandary about how best to travel to Oktoberfest. Since parking proved be problematic in Starnberg, we thought perhaps we could take the ferry there from our hotel. The problem with the ferry was that it didn’t run frequently enough or late enough to be a good option. Another option we considered was to walk to Starnberg. So in part to see how long it would take to walk there, and also just to explore the area, we began hiking. It was a lovely walk along a narrow, tree-lined lane that ran beside the lake. Although there were houses along the lane, we saw no one else, or at least almost no one else. Everything about the walk was perfect, except how long it would have taken to reach Starnberg—about an hour. And the return trip would have been after dark. So although we had a nice walk, we ruled out that mode of conveyance as well. So we could either drive to Munich, which every website warned against doing, or take the train, which meant figuring out what to do with the car at the station. We’d already encountered the later problem in Starnberg, but there was another station near that one called Starnberg Nord. So we decided to try it.

We found the Starnberg Nord train station, and nearby was what looked like a large municipal parking garage. But the signage gave us the impression we couldn’t park there, so we drove around the area a few times trying to find a place to park. We had no luck so returned to the garage, and with the aid of an online translator app, we deciphered the ridiculously long “no parking” sign at the entrance. What is said in German in about 50 words, came down to “parking for train commuters only.” And that was us. Wonderful. We parked and headed up to the platform, where we bought a couple of train tickets from a machine. A few minutes later, the train to Munich stopped, and we and all the other festival goers boarded. By the way, the other commuters were easily identified as festivalgoers because they were all dressed for the occasion—women in dirndls and men in lederhosen. And that was cool. On the seat in front of us sat a couple of little rambunctious boys in their lederhosen and a couple of little girls in their dirndls. One of the girls made it a point to tease one of the boys, who made it a point to get even. It was all in good fun, which is exactly what Oktoberfest is all about.

Upon arriving in Munich, we weren’t sure which stop to get off at. Most everyone on the train got off at Munich Hackerbrücke station, we got off at the next stop, München Central Station. After exiting, we made our way through the underground station up to street level and then tried to orient ourselves. Had we gotten off at Hackerbrücke that would have been easy, just follow the crowd. In the middle of the congested city, however, it took a few false steps to get our bearings, but eventually we succeeded and were soon following the signs to Theresienwiese (the fairgrounds where Oktoberfest is held). It was less than a mile away, and we arrived at 1:02 PM, which I know because we took a selfie, of course.

There’s no charge to enter the fairgrounds, so that was cool. The grounds are roughly laid out like an elongated oval with the main thoroughfare running from the bottom where people enter to the top at the other end. The principal beerhalls for the most part are on one side or the other of the main thoroughfare, which is also lined with food stands and souvenir shops. Off to the left side of the oval is what amounts to an amusement park with an assortment of rides. We started walking through this section first, figuring we’d learn the lay of the land and work up a sweat before indulging in the foremost reason one comes to Oktoberfest, which of course is to drink the beer. The entire fairgrounds, as might be expected, was packed, and the section with amusement rides was no exception, so walking required a lot of dodging and weaving. We didn’t go on any rides, nor were we tempted to do so, but by the time we’d reached the end of the oval, we were ready for something to eat and drink.

The first beerhall we came to was the Lowenbrau tent. We went inside and looked for a place to sit. We walked around the huge tent a couple of times looking for an empty table but couldn’t find one. And that was probably a good thing because, as we would soon learn, indoor seating is reserved. Here’s the lowdown on that from https://www.oktoberfestticketsmunich.com/faq/

Anyone can enter the Oktoberfest grounds and tent admission is free. Oktoberfest is the largest public festival in the world. Serving over 400,000 people each day, the festival has only 1 seat for every 4.5 people. Food and beverage service is available only to those with a seat.

Because most large tents reach maximum capacity early in the day, admission becomes limited to only purchased reservation holders. Tent seating is in high demand and therefore sells out quickly. Weekends and Opening Day may be sold out years in advance or limited to regular patrons and celebrities.

So we looked for a place to sit in the outdoor garden. It too was packed, but we eventually managed to squeeze into a tight space at one of the picnic tables, which was in direct sunlight and directly in front of the Lowenbrau Lion sitting atop a 37-meter blue and white striped tower. The immediate area cleared out momentarily, and then a group of about five young girls and one boy joined us at our table. They were all about 15 to 17 years old and lived in Munich although they were from various other countries. And they spoke English, some better than others. One girl in particular was quite fluent in English and quite talkative, so we chatted with her and her school chums. It was one them that enlightened us about reservations being needed to sit indoors and about them being sold out years in advance. They also helped us score a liter of Lowenbrau Oktoberfest and the specialty roast chicken dish. Hanging with the kids was a lot of fun. And the chicken was tender and tasty and the beer sublime.

For the next 80 minutes or so, we soaked up the scene inside several beerhalls, starting with another circuit through the Lowenbrau tent, followed by the Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbrau, Bräurosl (which also serves Hacker-Pshoor), and Augustiner tents. This link provides the lowdown on each, as do many other sites on the internet. Needless to say, they are all uber-festivals to the god of beer. Some are more raucous than others, some are bigger, and some are fancier, but by all indications, in each a good time was had by all.

At about 4:20 PM, we left the festival grounds and walked to the nearby Hackerbrücke station to catch the train back to Starnberg Nord. We didn’t need to buy train tickets because no one had collected the ones were purchased earlier in the day. In fact, the tickets were never collected on any of our four train rides between Munich and Starnberg Nord. We never even spotted a ticket taker. Whether this was because it was Oktoberfest or on the weekend or just the way it always is, I do not know. But it was just another thing that made Germany very affordable. Even had the tickets been collected, their cost was modest at $13.65 for two one-way tickets, especially when compared to the $63.85 we’d paid for the train tickets from Zurich to Lucerne.

On the drive back to the Hotel Schloss Berg, we stopped at an Aral Station in Starnberg to buy beer and meat sticks. Again the prices were downright rock bottom. Beer in particular must be subsidized in Germany. Back at the hotel, we lounged in luxury until about 6:30 PM, when we went down to dinner in the hotel’s restaurant. We had a couple of beers and the yellow lentil soup with carrots, ginger, coconut and croutons and breast of guinea fowl with bacon chestnut sauce, pumpkin, leek and Dauphine potatoes (see pic DSC00909). Everything about the meal was excellent. If only we could dine just like this every day.

After dinner we took a short walk around the grounds and then returned to our room. The question to be decided was whether to venture back to Oktoberfest this evening or just hang out at the hotel and in our lovely room. We opted for the latter. And it proved to be a wise move since a torrential downpour began a bit later and would last through the evening. In our room, we watched as dusk fell and the sky filled with ominous clouds. And we enjoyed a beer and had some fun. About 9:40 PM, I checked to see if the hotel bar was open. It was nestled on the back deck overlooking the lake, and would have been the ideal spot to kick up our feet and down a few brews, but it didn’t look to be open. Four or five people appeared to be partying, but the lights were out and the rain had begun to fall. It wasn’t to be. So we stayed put in our enchanting room, where we watched the 1946 film-noir movie “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers,” planned tomorrow’s escapades, and of course drank a few German beers. Prost!