Oktoberfest

I'm not sure about any of you, but everywhere I look these days there's an ad or poster for Oktoberfest celebrations. Oktoberfest is about a 16 to 17 day festival held in Munich, Germany that runs from late September to the first weekend in October. I know it seems odd to call it Oktoberfest if in the birthplace of the festival it is mostly held in September. When I was in Munich, one of my tour guides mentioned that it used to be primarily in October but was moved up, so that there would be better weather. For those of you who aren't familiar with the festival, it basically celebrates beer, although I think it originally was a celebration of the wedding of King Ludwig I.

This festival is celebrated worldwide, and my first experience with Oktoberfest was in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario where I went to college. Oddly enough I don't drink, but Oktoberfest is a lot of fun in Kitchener since it is one of the biggest celebrations of the festival in Canada. So if you're going to be in Toronto around the beginning of October, take an hour and half trip west to Kitchener and enjoy in some of the festivities.

I was not in Munich during Oktoberfest, but if you want to celebrate the great tradition of beer and sausage, then you must go to the Hofbrauhaus to eat. It is filled with history as well. Here's the irony of it all when I went there. I don't drink, and I don't eat pork. That wasn't going to stop me from experiencing this place, so I ordered spaetzle noodles (which is basically mac and cheese) and a coke. Sure the waiter gave Hozafa and I a weird look, and we stuck out like sore thumbs in the midst of all the others with their half liter and one liter steins, but you can't go to Munich without eating here.

For those of you partaking in any Oktoberfest events where you live, remember to be safe :-)