We set off for the German plains wanting to leave behind the floods of Wetherby . It's not the first time or the highest the Ings have flooded since we have lived here but it does hint at the long wet times ahead so Germany was an attractive idea.
We were to meet up with friends coming from Australia and London to Munich, and Oktoberfest just happened to be on at the same time. Couldn't be helped.
A champagne farewell to England signalled our exit for a week of .... well let me show you.
After finding our way to our hotel in the outskirts of Munich by plane train bus and walking we set of into town to get a feel for the city. A hop on hop off bus trip is always a good thing and we had booked this on line. The first 'Place' in our Munich tour was the Nymphenburg Palace. Part of the round the city bus tour which I can only recommend highly. The guides on the day were a bit stretched as there was a unification protest in the city centre and the buses had to be diverted while Angela Merkel and other politicians came to talk to the media and the police chased, captured and beat up the protesters. I think the bus tour usually has recorded audio information in twenty languages like in Dubai, Leeds, Sydney , New York, London and just about every other city in the world. But because of the unification holiday they were not offered as the tour wasn't going the same route. Anyway, the guides were shit, trying to cover a changing route in two languages at high speed with too much information (very intelligent guides) and little joy but the places we saw were good and the trip is a great thing to do.
This here are views of the front, back overview and a Lion in the Schloss Nymphenburg, you can pay to go inside and look at the old pictures, furniture and portraits which may be nice , we looked in a book and thought it would be a good thing to do but didn't have time as there were other things we wanted to do on the Munich bus trip. So we got on the next bus and went to the Olympic Park (1972) and BMW Walt (World)
Yes they make lots of bits for their Rolls Royce at BMW Walt, the wood leather and paint gets stuck on in Crewe in England.
We had a lovely walk through the BMW cars and Rollses, spoke to some lovely people wanting us to buy their cars and then set off on a short stroll over the footbridge into the olympic park and around the lakes to the tower for lunch up the top that looks over everything... Restaurant 181, it's web is
http://www.restaurant181.com/ if you want to get the full idea.
As usual we did lunch in style, I have a raft of pics of the wonderful entree mains and dessert and despite a cheapish bottle selection the wine was very nice too. But there are too many other things to show you than food in this blog entry, it would go on for far too long, if it isn't already. 181 is a revolving restaurant but the windows revolve with you and we had our very own big table so we felt special and the service was exemplary. Another Munich thing we would recommend, but remember to show your hop on hop off pass as it gives you a discount off the 11 euro lift ride which you have to pay regardless of if you are spending a small fortune in the restaurant for ala carte or not... You can just have coffee and cake but the lunch is great and worth every euro... well it was for us, but we do like a good lunch.
Back for a walk past the BMW Walt for a play on their display bikes and a short wait for the bus to arrive before we returned to the heart of Munich.. As I said the tour does a bit more than a palace, a car showroom and a restaurant but we have our priorities and Lunch takes a while. We didn't look at any of the art kunsts and I really would have loved a day in the Pinakothek der Modern and the Neue Pinakothek. Next time.
We were not sure but in the heart of the old town there were these blokes singing revolutionary songs and not getting beaten up by the police so we figured they had the right forms filled out. They were enthusiastic, intent and dedicated to their sombre cause,,,, but crap. I hate squeeze box music and tired blokes singing nationalistic songs.
It was interesting to see all the folk dressed up. These guys and gals were, we figured, there for the protest against the unification but most of Munich was dressed for Oktoberfest with their leather shorts and frilly dresses. Makes the place quite lovely. The locals are quite proud of their heritage now, the young professionals particularly with lots of 20s to 30 year old's embracing the tradition and going ultra traditional and proud of it .... Lovely really, a bit of regional pride.... nothing scary.... not like swastikas or anything like that...
In the centre of the old town MarianPlatz has a big glockenspiel which does it's thing a few times a day. No I don't know when but we did see it, around midday I think.
It bongs on and plays tunes for ages, figures spin around, horses carry soldiers who fight with lances and fall off, girls and boys swing around and it's quite tatty and touristy
But they love it
Not very far away, in fact just down the Platz and around a corner past St Peters place . is the Viktualienmarkt. What a great place, food stalls with fresh produce, products, wines, and bierhaus tables outside to sit and have a drink. The food shops were closed on our first day as the police were scheduled to be beating up protesters, but there was no evidence of that we saw, and I was a bit disappointed to be honest, like a good riot do I. I recall the student riots in Seoul in the 80's, the tear gas and stuff, most enjoyable.
These drinking bikes looked the goods don't you think? We didn't get to find out how to hire these although,next time.... six punters all peddling, one driver and a table in the middle with a big fridge full of drinks. Gotta do that. We didn't see them again mores the pity.
.As I said before the locals all wear genuine trad gear in Sept/Oct and the department stores cater for the tourists and cheapskates who want the look but can't afford the genuine stuff. I can't tell the difference but the Munichmen we spoke to were quite offended by the cheap impression and tourist clobber sold in the high street. Real Munchen men get it from the local artisans who have been making it locally for hundreds of years from local hides and stuff.. Apparently.
Here are about twenty police taking some protesters away to be beaten up. The protesters were loud hailing and poster carrying and were a little bit untidy. Crimes against the state obviously. The locals seemed unconcerned.
Our first night in Munchen saw us in a beer garden in the middle of the huge English Garden by a lake feeding the ducks, drinking a stein and eating fantastic hunks of pork and sausage with piles of sauerkraut and mash. yummy yummy yummy.
The whole purpose of our trip though was to catch Jon and Kylie as they passed through Munchen on their way to Erlingen for Jon's education /work. We stayed in Messe Munchen at Messestadt West a few short train stops from Munich city centre and caught them up at breakfast in the local cafe.
Then off to the food market in the centre of old Munich which was open by then, all the protesters having been beaten and sent back to work. We found lots of cheese, wine and a fantastic little place for a bottle of bubblie.
With a pretty wench to serve us
So we could have a very nice rest before going to the Hauffbrauhause for lunch and some Dunkle.
So we had a very nice time there too and left to the sounds of a oompah band playing sweetly
We walked the city some more and discovered one of Munchen's little secrets. Surfing the river. It's one of those must do things for any world travelling surfer, Pipeline in Hawaii, the DoomBar in Cornwall, and the fixed wave in the Munich English Garden.... go figure, we met a couple of Aussie surfers amongst the local and travelling wave freaks who all said how hard this wave was to ride. To be honest it looked like a lot of fun but most only managed a couple of seconds as the water is rapid and throws you off the back at a rate of knots.
Caught up with Cora Trisha and Amy who had also come to Munchen , it was Trisha's birthday in a few days so a good time was assured in yet another beer hall. With great food, and lots of people. The rest of them went on to party the night away but us old folk headed back to our digs as it was going to be a big one the next day and we (I) wanted to be ready for it.
What a great surprise Oktoberfest was for me. I had expected a load of drunks throwing up on the pavement and creating havoc. Nothing of the sort, lots of happy cheery folk all intent on having a great time, singing songs and being romantic. I want to go again, and again...it is fantastic. We got an early start so we could get a seat in a Hall but even at 8:30 in the morning the queues were miles long and some beer halls were already full of revellers....
There are acres of beer halls and great little stalls selling traditional ginger bread hearts all saying things like i love you, and i love beer and Munich and oktoberfest and you are my lovely and lots of other german stuff. You wear them around your neck but they are delicious.
We opted to sneak onto a short queue for this place as we had all but given up hope of ever getting a seat in a hall. To our amazement the wall was taken down and we were allowed into the beer garden where we secured a seat in the sun. What a great bit of luck. We got to know a bar lady who bought us lots of beer and some food, huge pretzels, soup and chicken were all available and bought to the table. A great 9:30am start to the day. We were surrounded by cheery Italians and hooked a couple of good looking German guys for the girls to chat up.
One beer downed and Gail decided that she and Cora should have a ride on this which was spinning around within sight of our table.
It was one of those that turns up-side down and spins and everything I would hate but Gail and Cora enjoyed it enormously complaining only that it didn't let you stay still long enough to enjoy the view which was spectacular.
As it turned out the only reason we left the beer garden was the queues to the toilets which were an hour long, and after all the beers..... well, the girls, and me to be honest, just had had enough of that torture so we left Lowenbrau to find that there were plenty of toilets outside the beer halls in the streets and Ooohh!, Look! We found a champagne hall.... with it's own oompah band.... and other yummy things like desserts and breads and champagne. Lots of champagne, in nice yellow buckets. We now have a nice yellow bucket In Wertherby but we say we have no idea how come.
After which a short walk to look at the huge park that is Oktoberfest, lots of beer halls, rides, food stalls, cafes, souvenir stalls and just so much more
But we had decided that there were things in the old city we wanted to see so it was on the train back to Munich centre
And a silly run through a fountain which necessitated a quick trip to a department store to buy dry clothes... Children, really... I tell you, can't take them anywhere.... I will have to stop encouraging them I suppose.
I have mentioned it was Trisha's birthday and this is the place we took her for lunch. Orlando in the old city. Really really nice.
Gail and I also wanted to go to the Munich Residence which we did and while it is a grand thing to do, don't bother.
There are some interesting things inside and the treasury has some opulent religious relics if you are into that stuff but there are better things to do in Munich and its surrounds.
Our time was over all too soon and as I sat in the Munich airport lounge sipping my last german wine I reflected on our day trip out of Munich to Neuschwanstien Castle, you know the one, in Bavaria.
I have done a trip adviser report on the tour guide Roland and the Radius Tours day out there as it was fantastic. It was an organised pre-booked tour from platform 34 at the Hauptbahnhof and as long as we all promised Roland to meet the bus and the train on time we were allowed to follow the tour or not and we chose to not. The bits we stayed with Roland were great but it was fantastic to be able to roam off and do our own thing. Roland did say that if we missed the bus or the train it was our fault. We were happy with that.
On arrival at Fussen we shared the bus to the castle's village and decided to abandon the tour in favour of a lunch at Muller. What a great decision. Fast great service and magnificient food and a black foorest gatteau to die for all delivered so quick it allowed us to enjoy a stein and have plenty of time for the rest of the day.
After the superb lunch we strolled towards the lake as Roland had told us of a posh restaurant there and the great scenery sort of drew us that direction anyway.
So pretty we had to grab a table and seven glasses of bubbles to sit in the sun chat and waste another hour or so before catching a bus up the mountain to walk the bridge and look at the castle
We then opted to stroll back down to the bus by way of the gorge which was a spectacular decision
The train trip home to Munchen was long but helped by some local ales and great company.
When we all got back in Munchen it was necessary to have a farewell meal as we all had to depart at different times to commence real life again.
It was a fantastic week and while we did spend a lot of it walking talking and drinking I can absolutely recommend Munchen and its Oktoberfest to anyone interested in having a wonderful time. I would be happy to host anybody who was willing to pay my way and as I may have alluded to, I have hundreds more photos of food, places, Bavarian scenery and people doing silly things if you want me to send you some. But this blog is just to capture the core of the trip and I am satisfied I have done that.
I also had a rather busy time with the Wetherby Lions , these photos are of the Ladies night. I chair the committee and we hosted a posh frock night so the Lion wives and partners get a bit of thanks from the guys for supporting us through the year. Held in the Wetherby Golf Club banquet room it was a Great night, good drinks and food, fantastic music from Mark and Natalie of Rhythm Division and Gail and i had a little dance 
This is how we drag Santa around Wetherby. Every night for a couple of weeks we hook this sleigh up and tug Santa through the residential streets of wetherby giving kids chocolates and collecting donations for the seniors party. Santa is a big earner as it turns out.
Anyway towards the end of the day we chose the name for the toy reindeer and in front of a huge crowd, which was there, nearly a hundred folk, but not in frame. We called out the name of the winner who as usual was not in the crowd. But we had a number so called up and the little girl came back in to town and collected her prize. Most happy, most lovely. We also sold a huge hamper, abou 18 kilos of bacon in our bacon butties, a fortune in sweet crepes, sold lots of winning tickets for cuddly plush stuffed lion toys and controlled the crowds wanting to sit on santas knee, generally an excellent market day in silly clothes.
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