T̶w̶o̶ One p̶e̶r̶p̶e̶t̶u̶a̶l̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶a̶t̶s̶ immigrant settling into home country number five.
As fun as Oktoberfest is, there are still some dangers lurking, particularly where beer steins are involved. This friend (who will remain somewhat anonymous) demonstrates a couple common Oktoberfest injuries for us. See this vertical welt on her forehead? Here she reenacts how she got it:My advice: don’t do this. Injury number two: blisters from … Read more
Please stop citing Bild as a source when you report about Germany. You look like idiots. Yes, Bild is Germany’s “top-selling” newspaper. It is also the intellectual equivalent of the National Enquirer. Seriously. Take a look. Disgustedly yours, Jul
The waitresses at the Wies’n must start training months in advance for all this beer-carrying. Looks like seven liters… not bad. Eight! Even better. One waiter, too: Pretty impressive, no?
This Fräulein was administering breathalyzer tests to the guys at the table behind us in the Hippodrom, but not for the usual reasons. They weren’t interested in finding out whether they were fit to drive (the Premier of Bavaria has already educated them about that). Instead, they were receiving certificates proudly boasting the blood alcohol … Read more
Greetings from Oktoberfest 2008! We are still alive and well. The city is awash with drunken tourists and locals alike, most of them wearing some kind of tracht, or at least funny hats (note to self: take more photos of funny hats). Many precious memories are in the making here, I tell you, and we … Read more
You’ll be pleased to know that the beer was paraded in and arrived safely at the Wies’n. The first keg was successfully tapped by the mayor at the stroke of noon. Here we go!
All over the place I’ve been hearing references to Bayerisch (the Bavarian language) in connection to Oktoberfest. The official website has an English-Bayerisch dictionary. A friend gave me an Oktoberfest song book* which also includes a Bayerisch phrase guide (and an interview with Roberto Blanco, of all people. WTF? All I know is that if … Read more
Not the part in Norwegian – I understood that perfectly, it says “age limit 24”. But the English part had me puzzled. Do I have to take my bra off to go in? I wondered. Do they have something against jock straps? Is it common for bars to have such signs up, and I’ve just … Read more
The part of our trip I was looking forward to the most was the part north of the Arctic Circle, four days in the Lofoten Islands. The Lofotens form a big, mountainous wall in the middle of the ocean, and are speckled with lakes and fishing villages. These islands receive six weeks of constant sun … Read more
Yeah, we thought the answer was pretty obvious, too: It’s true, stuff + cats does = awesome! Thanks to Oscar for being such a good sport.