Days 14-17, A Tale of Two Cities

If you've never been to Oktoberfest then today is your lucky day. Grab a liter of beer, pull up your Lederhosen and gather round. Oktoberfest is Germany's most famous festival and the world's largest fair. Beginning in late September and lasting 16-18 days, 6 million people attend the celebration of King Ludwig I and Therese of Bavaria's marriage 200 years ago. Guys dress in Lederhosen (leather pants/suspenders), girls dress in Dirndl (traditional alpine peasant dresses), and I dressed like a sheep farmer.

The festival takes place just a short walk from central Munich at the Theresienwiese Meadows. Like any other festival, there are carnival rides, tent games, a ferris wheel, and concession stands, but unlike most festivals, there are giant white tents scattered throughout the grounds. Walk into one of these and the true Oktoberfest begins.

We entered our first tent and took in the scene. Giant blue and yellow streamers hung from the ceiling, at the center of which was an inflated, red-faced German caricature with angel wings playing the harp. A burly waiter bumps past us carrying 3 sloshing liter-sized steins in each hand, then slams them down on a nearby table. Behind him, a guy and a girl stand on a table locked in competition, seeing who could drain their stein first while a raucous crowd cheers them on. A girl is slumped over, her face lying flat on the table and a young man in lederhosen is getting the wedgie of his lifetime. A women walks by with a breathalyzer and a stack of empty certificates. A band performs and throughout the hall random groups join in chorus, arms wrapped around each other. We settle in amongst the crowd and when the burly attendant arrives, we order our steins of beer and a large, deep fried chicken.

In all truth, these things did not happen simultaneously, but they did happen that day. However, the air was not one of reckless debauchery, but of camaraderie and celebration. There was not a table we sat at that did not end with my arm wrapped around my neighbor, yelling “Prost” and clanking our steins together.

I never saw any violence that day, and except for this guy, most people were able to walk home.

Berlin

Germany's capital once was divided, but has emerged from its mind-numbing history as a haven for diversity and tolerance. The past echoes on its streets, from the still-standing segments of the Berlin wall to the Jewish Holocaust memorial. Walk past the iconic Brandenburg Gate and you'll hardly notice stepping over the brick-marked line indicating where the wall once stood. But the past is fading quickly, and in its place is a young-minded town with an openly gay mayor, a thriving entertainment and arts industry and a vibrant night life.

We began our day with a stroll down the East Wall Gallery, a 1 kilometer stretch of the wall where graffiti artists have inscribed messages of political freedom and acceptance over the years. The brassy sentiment of rebellion makes the wall a popular hangout for teenagers.

Berlin's economy is wounded with $60 billion of debt, leading the mayor to famously proclaim Berlin to be “poor, but sexy”. We did our best to help, shelling out the 67 Euros to rent Segways and tour the city with modern efficiency. Our first stop was Museum Island, where five of Berlin's most famous museums are located. Then we zipped over to Babelplatz, Germany's most prestigious university and the site of the infamous book burning of 1933. The spot is commemorated with an empty library and a daily book fair. Next up we saw Checkpoint Charlie, the sole point of entry from Eastern to Western Germany. Adjacent to Checkpoint Charlie is a wall filled with stories of attempted escapes from Eastern Germany. My favorite was of a West Berliner whose girlfriend was from East Berlin. After the wall was erected, he began dating a women who he selected because of her similar appearance to his girlfriend. Then, on a weekend trip into Eastern Germany, he stole her passport and left her at a highway rest stop, picked up his girlfriend and snuck her into West Germany with the woman's passport. As far as breakups go, that has to be top ten.

We rounded out our trip with stops at the Jewish memorial, The Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag and Hitler's bunker. I have stories about each of these places, but I'll tell you about those another time.

Something interesting happened that night at our hostel. I woke up to someone stomping up the stairs. He burst through the door, agitated and cursing, and shouted “I was robbed”!, then kicked a nearby chair, lit a cigarette and went over to the window. Walking home, he had been jumped by 4 men, beaten up, and his wallet and cell phone stolen. He was a big guy with several tattoos and piercings on his face and he seemed an unlikely target. Nonetheless, such was his fate. As I drifted to sleep I could hear him quietly sobbing into his hands.

See the rest of my Oktoberfest and Berlin pictures here