Oktoberfest

Hello,

I hope everyone is doing well at home. I had the best time this past weekend in Munich at Oktoberfest.

Shan and I flew from Florence to Munich early Friday morning, stored our bags in our hostel, and headed over to Oktoberfest around noon.

A really quick word about our hostel, Wombats – it was the coolest place ever run by the coolest people ever. There was a large atrium in the center of the hostel filled with neon beanbags and wicker floor cushions, computers available for internet use, and a super fun bar where we met people also staying at the hostel. On Friday night, Shan’s throat was really really sore, and the nice bartender made her a hot whiskey with lemon – she instantly felt better (I was in awe of how effective it was medicinally – apparently it kills the bacteria causing you to feel sick). We stayed in an 8 person room with 6 other people from USD (Shan’s school). It only cost 60 EURO for the whole weekend – the cost included a pretty decent breakfast every morning. 4 stars for Wombats, I’d say.

When Shan and I arrived at the fair grounds, we headed to the Houfbrau House and pretty much camped ourselves there all weekend. Our SCU friends had arrived earlier and we joined them, right under the large stage where the German band played traditional German songs. They also played American pop-culture songs, like “Be My Girl” and “YMCA” and “I Will Survive.” Picture thousands of people from all over the world singing and dancing to these songs. It was so odd but so entertaining. The songs were instant unifiers – whenever the band played an American song, everyone sang along, picked up their gigantic steins, and swung them those nearby. They were so gigantic though, that by the time the steins were 1/3 full, the beer had warmed and didn’t taste that great. I do admit that I like beer now, but it has to be cold.

The days were filled with German beer, bratwursts, pretzels, roller coasters (a HILARIOUS Irish guy took Shan and I on almost all of the rides on Saturday night – it was a blast), and incredible people. There were Germans, Irish, English, Australians, New Zealanders, Italians, French, and Americans. I sincerely feel that Oktoberfest may be the one place where world peace is even a remote possibility.

We ran into my friend Ashley Law on Saturday at Houfbrau. Shan, Ashley, and I went to high school together – it was great having a little Mater Dei reunion all the way in Germany. After cheering for the band on stage (and by cheering I mean Shan making googly-eyes at the singer), we were invited up to dance. Throughout the entire weekend, no one was allowed onstage, and we felt pretty gosh darn special to be invited up. We danced to “Be My Girl.” It was so crazy – there must have been well over 1000 people, all dressed in lederhosen and the traditional German get-up, cheering and singing and looking up at us. This was one of my most favorite memories from the weekend.

Another favorite memory was spending the weekend with Shan. We had a ball and laughed a ton, especially when recounting what Shan ate. Try this on for size – 6 bratwursts, 2 small chickens, 2 donuts, and a chocolate chip cookie from Subway. It was HILARIOUS, and I can say for a fact that she never wants to see/smell another sausage ever again.

I’m so glad I decided to go, as I was hesitant to book travel plans at first. I have so many great memories (and yes, I do have memories thank you very much), and I met the most incredible people. I loved every minute.

As of right now, school’s going okay. I am quite fond of my Creative Writing class – we are reading great literature relating to Italy, such as E.M. Forester’s Where Angels Fear to Tread, and Henry James’s Daisy Miller. My art history site visits are very interesting (today we met at an archeological site in Fiesole, where we saw a Roman theater and bath house dating to 1st Century B.C.). However, two hours of Italian, four days a week, and a three hour marketing class every Wednesday have become slightly exhausting. Not to complain or anything. Too late. I’ve been told that while spending time abroad, it’s quite normal to experience ups and downs. We’ve been here for a bit over a month now, and as I write this I find that I am distracted by my Art History homework, my Marketing project, and the fact that I can’t go for a run today, as I won’t make it home in time to shower before the water pressure dissipates. Although these moments are extremely rare, I sometimes want to curl up in my bed at home, watch Princess Diaries, and indulge in a big fat dose of familiarity.

This weekend I’ll be in Venice on Friday, Ravenna on Saturday, and catching up on homework/emails/possibly this blog on Sunday.

Like I said before, I’m having a wonderful time. Don’t let that little blib about familiarity startle you. I do miss you all, though! Please keep me updated with anything new and exciting going on in over there (and by “there” I mean anywhere that’s not Italy). CNN.com takes a century to load and I’m not always the most patient person. Speaking of “anything new and exciting”, thanks for filling me in on the TomKat/Suri Vanity Fair cover. I can’t believe no one thought it necessary to suggest that I run as fast as I can to the nearest negozio and pick up the magazine. And I call you my friends.

I’m totally kidding.

Yours till Niagra Falls,

Genny-enny-dots