Dachau and Munich, Germany

Shopping trip in Dachau

The last leg of our trip was just a short train ride away in Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest. This is something I have been talking about for almost a year and it was finally here. Since we had such a big group, we were able to get a house in Dachau about 30 minutes outside of the center of Munich. Kind of like when I stayed with my coach in Prague, this was cool to be somewhere away from the big city and experience some of the non-touristy culture. Our house ended up being kind of in the middle of no where and really tested our resourcefulness and everything we have learned as travelers through Europe. Our original plan was to walk to a local grocery store to get food for the weekend since we had a kitchen to cook in. Once we realized we were in the middle of nowhere we had to figure something else out. Luckily Alice speaks fluent German and was able to talk to our neighbor to find out where the nearest grocery store was. As we were getting ready to walk 4 km, he came out and offered to drive Alice, Cody, and I to the store for 5 euros. This was very nice and a great experience because we got to ride through the rolling hills of Dachau and the man was really helpful in helping us shop at a grocery store in Germany. We filled the entire cart with supplies for spaghetti, sandwiches, and breakfast foods for the entire weekend. Then he took us to a store nearby to get Augustiner Brau beer in spirit of Oktoberfest. After about an hour and over 200 euros we were stocked for the weekend. We ended up paying our neighbor 20 euros and a few beers for his troubles.

The shopping adventure was just the beginning of the excitement at our place in Dachau. The doorknob to the kitchen was broken and had fallen out a few times as we were unloading all the groceries. Every time we were able to just put it back in without any issue so we didn't think it would be a problem. When we had dinner that night, all 12 of us were in the kitchen having a family dinner in a kitchen that probably was not meant for 12 people at a time. Someone bumped the door stop and the door shut with the knob falling out to the outside of the door. There was no way to open the door from the inside with the knob and metal rod sitting just inches away on the other side. This wouldn't be too bad except that the kitchen was on the second floor and Matt informed us he was planning on taking a bath and the tub was running. After about 45 minutes of arguing and coming really close to us trying to kick the door down, Matt was able to climb down to the first floor and in to an open window to let us out. The floor of the kitchen and bathroom was made of stone tiles so there was ultimately no damage from the flood. It ended up being just another fun adventure to add to the trip!

Roll call square at the Dachau Concentration Camp

The next day we woke up early to go tour the Concentration camp at Dachau. This was the type of thing that is incredibly dreary and depressing, but very powerful. There were monuments and memorials that did an excellent job of honoring victims and giving you a good feel of what they went through. Some things that stuck out to me where the size and style of the barracks where people had to live, the size of the roll call square, the crematorium, and the surrounding fence and 'no man's land'. The barracks were built with bunk beds that were designed to fit 180 prisoners but ended up getting crammed to fit almost 400. The roll call square was a huge open area at the beginning of the prison that would hold 40-50,000 prisoners. They would be called to roll call to be counted every morning and night and would some times have to stand there for hours or be punished for no reason. The crematorium is such a horrible thing to even think about, and the more I read/heard about it while I was in Dachau made it even worse. Finally, the fence around the whole prison and the gate at the opening gives you the feeling of how the prisoners felt closed in during their time there. All these terrible facts put together make you wonder how people could ever let something terrible like this happen.

Munich City Center

On a lighter note, after leaving Dachau we went in to Munich for the rest of the day to get a feeling of the city before Oktoberfest. The city was incredibly crowded because opening day was the next day, but it was still cool to walk around for a couple hours and explore. The main square was my favorite part where there is a huge clock tower and all kinds of amazing buildings surrounding the plaza. The highlight of the day was meeting a few Bavarian locals who gave us the lowdown on Oktoberfest and plenty of tips on how to make the most of it. After walking around the city we called it a night fairly early after an event free spaghetti dinner where we kept the door open the whole time.

The morning of Oktoberfest was one of the most exciting of the trip so far. We woke up at 5 am to get ready for our 6am van ride. We cooked up all the leftover pasta and made bacon and egg sandwiches to bring with us. All the guys got dressed in our hats from Austria and German suspenders from Berlin. We definitely looked like tourists but it was all part of the experience to have fun with it. Martin the cab driver picked us up in his big van at 6am sharp and we were ready to roll. He knew we were headed to Oktoberfest and even though he did not speak english he tried to get us pumped up by blasting some interesting European pop music on the ride to the train station.

7 am outside of the Augustiner tent with our ponchos
and Oktoberfest gear

We got on our train and were planted in front of the Augustiner Brau tent at 7:00 am. Even though it was raining and we still had 2 hours to wait, it was a great experience and everyone had lots of fun just getting excited for the day. The guys we met the day before were exactly right and the line started to fill up soon after we arrived. They said go to Augustiner because it is the best beer and most authentic experience without as many tourists. As the 9 am open time got closer we started getting pushed closer and closer together until the mad rush that happened as they let people get tables. It is very important to get a table in the tents because that is the only way they will serve you. We met up with some other friends also so our group ended up being about 20. The doors opened at 9 and just like our local friends said it was packed at 9:03. Luckily we were able to snag two tables right in the middle of it all and next to the band. Now the real waiting started. Because it was opening day, they didn't serve the first beer until after the parade and the mayor tapped the first keg at 12 noon. We ate a lot of Bavarian pretzels and did a lot of sitting around. All the waiting was so worth it as 12 o clock got closer. There were all kinds of people from all over the world and everyone was there to have a good time and party with some of the best beer in the world. Another piece of advice that really helped us was to always tip the waiter. We had been tipping on our pretzels as we were waiting and we had our first round of beers sitting on the table at 12:03. We considered this quite the feet with all the tables around us that were still waiting.  That is when the real fun began.

Inside the Augustiner Tent

The waiters were very impressive with their ability to carry these huge liter mugs like it was nothing. Our guy brought all 10 at once with them stacked on top of each other in a huge circle. I am not exaggerating when I say Augustiner is the best beer I have ever had. It was so smooth and easy to drink and I found myself cruising through the liters without even realizing it. The tents at Oktoberfest are able to fit 5,000 people so there were so many opportunities to mingle with locals and other people from around the world. I had a few long conversations with some Bavarians that were about my age right at the table next to us and said our friend was exactly right about Augustiner being the best tent to go for the authentic experience. One of the highlights of Oktoberfest is when a guy stands on top of his table until everyone is watching and cheering and he chugs his beer in front of 5,000 people cheering him on. After about 5 hours of the Augustiner tent a few friends and I went out to check out the rest of the festival. We went on 3 roller coasters and the huge swings that rise up and give you a view of all of Munich, including all the tents of Oktoberfest. Thinking back on it, my favorite thing about Oktoberfest was the fact that people from all different cultures and places in the world all come together and get along for the cause of having a good time. Especially in contrast with what I thought about in Dachau, it makes you wonder why there is so much hate in the world when it is so easily possible to get along.

After 10 days, 5 cities, 3 countries and countless stories and experiences it was time to head back to the villa and everyone was more than ready. The longer we spend here the more and more Riva feels like home. It is always so great to get back to the slow moving friendly town where we feel comfortable to live. Daniella is always there to help us with anything and Luigi and Guytano always put amazing food on the table. The past 10 days gave me some of the best conversations, sites, and overall times that I have ever had in my life and Oktoberfest was a perfect conclusion to another chapter in my adventure through Europe.