Oktoberfest, facts and figures

The Oktoberfest is known as the Largest Volksfest (People's Fair) in the World. Beginning with the first celebration in 1810 out on the 'Theresienwiese' site, today up to 6 million visitors come to celeberate.







Along with the ferris wheel and amuzement park attractions, 14 non permanent beer tents are set up on the 104 acres fairgrounds holding up to 100 000 seats. There is obviously a party atmosphere everywhere, and I must say, that although I hate amuzement parks, I do enjoy being in the tents ,it must be due to the 'Oompah band':-) But don't be fooled, it's very difficult to get inside, most visitors have reserved in adavance. If you are even lucky to get inside, don't be surprised to be sitted with other people on the benches ...but it won't be long before you are all up and 'drinking songs' in any language!





I wasn't able to download I video I had taken, so this will have to do.!




consumed (* based on last year)
Beer: appr. 69.406 hectolitres
Wine: 79.624 litres
Sparkling wine: 32.047 litres
Coffee, tea: 222.725 litres
Water, lemonade: 909.765 1/2 litres
Chicken: 521.872 units
Pork sausages: 142.253 pairs
Fish: 38.650 kg
Pork knuckles(yuk) 58.446 units
Oxen: 104 units


A Maß (pronounced mass)1 liter stein, goes for 8.80€, and it's sidekick, the large, doughy pretzels calls Brez'n — are sold from stands everywhere. Note that the heavy use of salt is no accident; after a few bites you'll want to drink more beer!

And just when you think, that things must get out of hand here, with all the alcohol, low and behold, the police, or as they say here POLIZEI, have their own tent, but it's permanent. (actually a nice piece of architecture)




The fact that it's called Oktoberfest and starts in September, well that's just logical: it's warmer and chances are you will want to drink more beer,PROST!

Tradition Thrives

200 years of tradition, in other words, Oktoberfest. It all began with a wedding, the royal wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King Ludwig I, and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on 12th October 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the happy royal event. The fields have been named Theresienwiese ("Theresa's fields") in honor of the Crown Princess ever since, although the locals simply refer to it as the "Wies'n". At that time, horse races marked the close of the event that was celebrated as a festival for the whole of Bavaria. A good time was had by all, so that they decided to repeat it annually.


Gradually with time, along with the agricultural fair, beer was introduced so visitors could quench their thirst and in 1896 the beer stands were replaced by the first beer tents and halls set up by enterprising landlords with the backing of the breweries. The rest of the grounds were occupied by amuzement (carrousels , rides, swings etc).

The festivties begin with a weekend filled with parades, the first being the Grand entry of the Oktoberfest landlords and breweries where decorated carriages, the magnificent horse-drawn drays of the Munich breweries, waitresses on decorated floats and all the beer tent bands parade.











And G. would like to point out that they (the people on the floats) are not pretending to drink their beer at 10am!


The following day , Oktoberfest Costume and Riflemen's Parade and almost everyone is out in their drindl and lederhosen (I will explain the clothes in another post)






M. and her carriage!











M and I cheering on...God save the queen, and princess for that matter!

The state of public H20

I have been saving this for a rainy day...to remind me of the summer that once was. It seems so long ago that I wore flip flops to ride my bicycle to the pool , I have been wearing socks and boots for weeks now (ok maybe only one but it seems like forever).



I must admit that I wasn't too enthusiastic about going to a public pool, but considering the other option (I will get to that one later) I had no choice when the barometer hit 30°C and M. needs to cool down.








Maybe it's the memory of my childhood summers spent in the pools back in Montreal, all that cement, with wobs of gum stuck to it, the screaming kids from summer camp, no room to run, the chlorine, the lack of shade. Well, I was very happy to find out that, here pools are the main attraction in the park! That is to say, they are not chainlinked into a park area, but are included in the landscape and the greenery defines the limits, the kids' playground, the lawn, the snack bar, WC are all included inside.


There are various outdoor pools located in the city, and are easily accessible by public transport too. They are all equipped with a children's wading pool and with lots of 'perks' to entertain them (slides,fountains,spurts,wheels etc), a middle sized pool for the waders and a big sized pool for the serious swimmers.



And I must mention that one pool even had their winter ice rink converted into a beach - filled with sand, bathers got the impression they were far away on some tropical island!

I must get the babysitter and look into the indoor pools, they also come equipped with saunas!

Opera Rocks

Most of us have preconceptions (BORING, fat lady etc..) when it comes to opera ...





....but here they have given it a new edge.



Pavilion 21 MINI Space Opera, for the duration of a month is the temporary mobile venue for new reflexions and experimentations in musical theater. Designed by the architects of Coop Himmelb(l)au,not unknown to the urban scene, for they have designed other modern monuments in Munich. The pavillion is set up in the Marstallplatz, just behind the National Theater, home of the 'classic opera'. (actually I see know where they took their inspiration :-)











And opera doesn't have to be expensive, Oper für alle, is a festival of opera free for the public to watch at the Max-Joseph Platz, just in front of the National Theater. This year, stage was set up, and hundreds of fan come with blankets and set up picnics as they watch and listen to the live broadcast of Puccini's Tosca being played inside. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me, but let me tell you that a great calm realms over the atmosphere and makes it even more stunning.

BOBBING

I don't know what else to call it. It's has been hot here lately too, not humid, just hot enough to get you to want to cool down. So in the famous English Garden, and the even more famous Eisbach, you can spot people jumping into the stream and watch them bobb along the way.

I guess you have to go with the flow !


P.S. And this is also forbidden.

unofficial BOM - Best of Montreal

It's been over a month since I have been back.. .and my trip seems like a distant memory. So I have made a list of my best of Montreal ...not in any particiular order.

1. friends and family (obvious choice)
2. bixing
3. the fact that cirque de soleil was born here


4. hab fever ( no one is ever complaining to stay home for this one)
5. standing on the corner of berri \mount-royal and seeing our famous and infamous domes at the same time (the moutain to the west and the big O to the east)
6. garage sales
7. unexpected snow in april (thanks uppercasechase1)
8. an unexpected peaceful stop at the Chirst Church Cathedral and contemplate that church was on stilts during its construction, of the underground that is)
9. maple syrup ice cream at Marché Jean-Talon
10. the rare classics that don't change (i.e. patitapatata,laika,reservoir... just to name a few)


the things I enjoyed less
1. not seeing nearly as many friends as I wanted to and spending more time with family (it's never enough!)

2. taking my daughter and her stroller on public transport... SUCKS. Honestly, their new campagin is about being green...but I just wanted to run out and use a car!!

3. little mom and pop shops closing up and making way for NEWER, CHICKIER, DESIGNY places...there is something about grit that i like. I feel that there is this massif cleanuup going on...the 'quartier des speactacles' for example ...seems like it wants to get rid of the red light district. Evicting a classic like 'Café Cleopatra' (not that I ever attended but now regret immensely) but it has been in business for more than 25 years now , you just don't kick them out because you have a master clean plan. I also noticed that they moved the 'Montreal Pool Room' to the other side of the street...well it ain't THE montreal pool room if you change location! So I ask you all, to help support the dying red light district, go see the shows or at least go to this site and check out the video by Eric Paradis, I think he says it better than I can.

I found this 'bijou' tucked away at the berri bus station...I hope they don't get to this one too!

indoor passage

As I try to stay calm and not think about the impending ash cloud that is threatening my upcoming trip back home (montreal), I realize that I ate my through 3\4 of the strawberry and rhubarb pie! (honestly it's a great recipe even if i didn't use tapioca!)

Enough is enough, I decide to head out for a walk for another calming activity, shopping! My husband G. is worried that a cancelled trip will get too expensive :-)
It's quite windy out, so after I have let M. run around wild in the center square, I decide to head home by a different route and use the 'indoor passageway'. I didn't realize this at first, but it is an actual shopping 'arcade' as they call it here...equivalent to Montreal's underground shopping network, except that you are at ground level. The masterminds behind the renovation of this area are Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron of Basel, Switzerland. It's called the Fünf Höfe, which means five courty ards, because it is literally an area of five connected courtyards. There is one courtyard that I enjoy strolling through, not for the shops but for the scenery above!





I am not sure if my photos capture the detail, but the plants are real and almost 10m long!



















M. loves to stop and admire it herself!

balancing spring

So these guys never cease to amaze me....the snow has thawed and as I was riding my bicycle (my old atala..didn't buy or steel anyhing yet) through the Englischer garten. It was a gorgeous day and so many people were taking advantage, basking in the warm spring sun, walking, playing ball and I thought I saw what resembled volleyball nets like we have back home in mtl in parc jeanne mance. But as I rode up closer I noticed that they weren't nets but ropes. These guys tight rope walk for fun! and the riskier and (drunker:-) you are the higher up you walk!