Oktoberfest: Ein Prosit! 🇩🇪

We made it to the largest beer festival in the world: Oktoberfest! The festival originated on October 12, 1810, in celebration of the marriage of the crown prince of Bavaria to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. Say that after a few liters of beer or a million, which is what they sold during just the opening day!

Dressed in our Lederhosen and Dirndl we set off exploring the massive beer tents. We visited the Löwenbräu, Augustiner, and a few other festival tents. With beer poured by the litre, bands playing music, and people packed dancing on the tables we ended at the calmer Kufflers Weinzelt festival hall with the kids. We had a litre of Paulaner, pretezels, and a Kuffler Zuckerreigen: a Datschi plum cake, apple fritter, Bavarian flat doughnut amazing goodness while singing along to the German drinking songs.

The festival had numerous rides and games for the kids. Emma found her love for fun houses especially ones with spinning tubes and Ben tried his hand at darts and pellet gun to win a few prizes. We even found a fun house with 3D glasses with a rainbow spinning tube that got the better of us! Ben even dragged Jenny on to the Kong ride, a claw that spins and twist as it swings high over the festival grounds. They had a similar ride called the Eagle Claw at Lightwater Valley in England that I rode and vowed never to ride again!

Upon translating the Oktoberfest map we came across a particular interesting ride, the Teufelsrad (Devil's wheel). It has been around for 114 years and as its name implies is a spinning wheel where participants attempt to stay on as it goes progressively faster. If you stay on long enough they send in a hanging ball and ropes in an attempt to drag you off the wheel. It was entertaining to watch as people spin off the spinning platter. Enjoy this bit of schadenfreude - pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune.