Another year, another Wiesn...

So now I have officially been working in Germany for 14 months. Enough time for me to now have seen every festival or celebration or tradition at least once. Of course, having just finished the month of September, we have just lived through our second Oktoberfest, or Wiesn as it is better known here.

Festivities officially started here on the 20th of September, but of course, our little Kindergarten had its traditional 'Wichtel Wiesn' a day before the real thing started. As always, releasing images of my kids is not permissible, which is a darn shame cause they all just looked so damn adorable in their dirndls and lederhosen! But I have included a few photos, of the decorated Kindergarten, and the staff picture!

On the Saturday, the first official day of Wisen, we met up with friends and found a spot along the official path of the opening parade, and watched, like last year, as all the beer companies paraded float after float with their brand names all over, interspersed with the occasional float with people... drinking beer, interspersed with a few marching bands. It was overall really enjoyable, except for the weather which was a bit dreary.

One of our students was on this float with her mother!

After the parade, we were not silly. We did not even attempt to make it into the Wiesn grounds. We played it cool, and headed instead for a lovely lunch with our friends. And a beer of course.

The following morning, we got up super early and dressed ourselves in traditional attire. I had worn my old dirndl from last year for work on the Friday, but today was the day I got to wear my brand new pretty green dirndl. I had been desperate for a green one ever since we first moved to Germany!

Once we got to the Wiesn with Shauna and Matt, we made a bee line for easily the biggest and craziest looking ride of the whole side show alley. Wanting to get at least one ride in and out of the way before consuming any beer, we went for one quick ride on the Olympic Ring Rollercoaster. Yup, you guessed it, 5 coloured rings made out of rollercoaster track. There were a few added loops thrown in just to make it even more exciting. It was easily the longest rollercoaster ride I've ever been on and the loops were awesome. So awesome in fact that at the end of the ride, I realised I had lost my flowers from my hair. Then reaching down to my feet for my handbag found my flowers had been trapped under my foot. Thank goodness for those loops! 















Making a stumbly exit from the ride, we sidled over to the nearest Lebkuchen stall as Shauna had expressed her desire for one earlier in the week. We both stood back and waited for our men to surprise us with a Gingerbread heart of devotion!

Shauna got a large gingerbread heart with a smiling beer stein on it! To be fair, this made her very happy!














Michael was told to just get a small one, but of course he couldn't be outdone by Matt, so he got me exactly the same size as Shauna (for clarification, Shauna ate hers, I just wanted mine to hang on my bookshelf so a giant one was not the best choice). Mine had a very lovely declaration on it written in Bayerish, which Michael and I don't really understand, we can only speak German. It said 'i steh auf di', which we assumed meant "I stand by you". No. No, what it really means is "I dig you!"

So lebkuchen hertz aside, we made our way to the brand new Marstall tent where we had some friends already inside. Together, we ate, drank, sang and danced until mid afternoon when we were booted from our table for a reservation, as was everyone else in the section we were sitting in.

After that we all decided to go home and crash.












So that was Sunday. During that week, we couldn't help but sneak off to Wiesn for a mid week party. So on Wednesday, Shauna, Matt, Michael and I went in (in plain clothes) for a hamburger, a beer and some yummy dessert! Sadly, no photos for that evening!


The following weekend, best intentions, we had planned to be at Wiesn super early on Saturday with friends.... then attack of the clutz happened. Middle of the night, while we were asleep, Michael's elbow had a run in with my nose. You can imagine which one came out worse off. So due to swelling and blood, there was no Wiesn that weekend.... ohhhh!

But not to end the story there, the following Wednesday (yes, mid week again) my colleagues and I were lucky enough to have a very special Wiesn staff function. And this meant that parents were asked to collect their children by 3 that day so that the entire staff could attend the function. I mean, where else in the world would you have parents agree to collect their child early so that the teachers could go to a festival that celebrates drinking! Certainly not in Australia!

But we all dressed up in our dirndls at work and made our way into the Wiesn as soon as we could. We partied into the night, both in a beautiful high-society tent and then in the Wine tent. I really do love who I work for and where I work when I get treated to special events like this. I only paid for one thing the whole evening and that was my candied cashews on my way to the train to go home (at 11pm).

With my colleague and good friend Naiyana...

My good friend Claire...

With my boss Doro...

I also couldn't help but get some video...



We also managed to have a quick turn on the big Ferris Wheel at dusk which was just beautiful.

Meanwhile, Michael was also at the Wiesn, at a different tent, with a company that he is trying to woo for a potential job.... he had fun...

Michael also then backed this up the following evening by going again with his current work crew.

So you would think after all that, we would be pretty over Wiesn.

But no. We are gluttons for punishment. We went back again today, for the last day of the festival. All Wiesn long I had been hanging out, waiting for a few of my favourite things. First thing on that list was a Jacket Potato. I was desperate. So that was lunch today.







Then, one of my good friends Cassandra sent me a message to say that they were in a the Bräurosl tent and to come join them. So we did.

We had a beer, stood on the benches and sang and danced with the best of them. Even though I did feel really out of place in my plain clothes.

On our way out, we stopped at Cafe Kaiserschmarrn. Cause I needed some Kaiserschmarrn. As you do!

But that is it. Oktoberfest is over for another year. This year I think was amazing, better than last year and I am so proud that we got to go so many times. We now truly feel like we belong here. Yes our German is still not great, but we love that we are learning each and every day. Wiesn was great too for teaching us many new German songs. I am now incredibly good at singing the Fliegerlied (as per video earlier), das Rote Pferd and Atemlos. I can now hold a maß with one hand, and sing and dance on tables with said beer in my single hand and Prost with everyone!

There are plenty more small stories about our time at Wiesn to share but I think for now these photos and overview will suffice.

And once more, my desire for a Wiesn balloon was thwarted. Next year my pretty, next year.....