We tried. We tried REALLYYY hard to stay in Doha for Eid, save some money, and relax as Kristal adjusts to her new life in Doha. We failed. And when I say failed, what I mean is that we nailed it and got to take another once in a lifetime trip to Munich's Oktoberfest!!! We were debating whether to stay in Doha and decided it was worth a look to see if the Oktoberfest dates lined up. Sure enough the last weekend of Oktoberfest and first weekend of Eid lined right up. So at 4am on Friday morning we were off to Munich, the land of sausages, pretzels, and beers.
We arrived Friday afternoon in Munich after a Pegasus flight that received a round of applause when its wheels finally touched down. Once in the airport we wanted to get in the city as fast as we could, but not before a meal of white sausage, mustard, pretzels, and beer (we would have this for every meal for the next two days). We took the train into the downtown and walked over to get the keys for our Air BnB. Hotel prices for Oktoberfest were insane so we lucked out in getting our own one bedroom flat walking distance from Marienplatz (a main train station). The rest of the afternoon we spent sightseeing, taking pictures, and getting a feel for the city. The next day we knew we would be committed to Oktoberfest so we had to get our tourism all out of the way!
Kristal and I didn't know what to expect from Oktoberfest, all we know is our expectations were blown away. Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine walking through a major city, reaching the outskirts of it, and from the end of the street you begin to see a fair ground emerge. It reminds you of the state fair that you have been to but this is so much more. Oktoberfest has approximately 12 "tents" (which were really standing buildings) representing the biggest breweries in Germany. The tents go around the edge of the fairground with carnival games and rides filling the middle. There are tens of thousands of people there each day and tents can hold up to 7,000 people in each one! In a perfect world we would have had a reservation for one of these tents but evidently they are as hard to come by as NFL season tickets. Luckily we were visiting Kristal's friend Rebecca, who had grown up in Munich, and she was able to help sneak us in. The tent was just as your would image. Long banquet tables, beers cheersing, band blaring, chanting, and standing on chairs. We spent the next several hours singing along (I learned the songs from Oktoberfest bands in Doha believe it or not), drinking Spatens, and trying to take in all the chaos. It absolutely lived up to the hype and I encourage you to get there at least once if you get the chance!
The next morning we were off to Salzburg, Austria (home of the Sound of Music!) for a short visit in the Austrian mountains. Salzburg had been a recommendation from Rebecca and we are so glad we went. The city had incredible history, colorful buildings, classical music, and more Sound of Music tours than you can imagine. While in Salzburg we ate dinner at a restaurant that opened in 803 (thanks Rachel and Tristan!), we took a ride out to the lake and mountain district, we saw a classical music concert in a 900 year old fortress, and did our first do it yourself walking tour! At the minimum just being able to experience Fall weather was refreshing and Austria gave us an incredible backdrop for it. Although our time was short there, as it always seems to be, we had an amazing experience and it is a must-see if you are in Munich!
As a new part to the blog I am going to add a travel tips post after each trip so if people want advice on cities they can reference this (inspired by you Gina).
For now we are back on the ground in Doha although we just booked flights home for Christmas!!! It will be my first time back for Christmas in over 2 years. We will be in the states from Dec 16-30 and hoping to see as many people as we can while we are there!
Kristal and I didn't know what to expect from Oktoberfest, all we know is our expectations were blown away. Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine walking through a major city, reaching the outskirts of it, and from the end of the street you begin to see a fair ground emerge. It reminds you of the state fair that you have been to but this is so much more. Oktoberfest has approximately 12 "tents" (which were really standing buildings) representing the biggest breweries in Germany. The tents go around the edge of the fairground with carnival games and rides filling the middle. There are tens of thousands of people there each day and tents can hold up to 7,000 people in each one! In a perfect world we would have had a reservation for one of these tents but evidently they are as hard to come by as NFL season tickets. Luckily we were visiting Kristal's friend Rebecca, who had grown up in Munich, and she was able to help sneak us in. The tent was just as your would image. Long banquet tables, beers cheersing, band blaring, chanting, and standing on chairs. We spent the next several hours singing along (I learned the songs from Oktoberfest bands in Doha believe it or not), drinking Spatens, and trying to take in all the chaos. It absolutely lived up to the hype and I encourage you to get there at least once if you get the chance!
The next morning we were off to Salzburg, Austria (home of the Sound of Music!) for a short visit in the Austrian mountains. Salzburg had been a recommendation from Rebecca and we are so glad we went. The city had incredible history, colorful buildings, classical music, and more Sound of Music tours than you can imagine. While in Salzburg we ate dinner at a restaurant that opened in 803 (thanks Rachel and Tristan!), we took a ride out to the lake and mountain district, we saw a classical music concert in a 900 year old fortress, and did our first do it yourself walking tour! At the minimum just being able to experience Fall weather was refreshing and Austria gave us an incredible backdrop for it. Although our time was short there, as it always seems to be, we had an amazing experience and it is a must-see if you are in Munich!
As a new part to the blog I am going to add a travel tips post after each trip so if people want advice on cities they can reference this (inspired by you Gina).
For now we are back on the ground in Doha although we just booked flights home for Christmas!!! It will be my first time back for Christmas in over 2 years. We will be in the states from Dec 16-30 and hoping to see as many people as we can while we are there!
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