October 5, 2017
Maß (pronounced mass)
I am not talking about a religious service but the beer glass that is served at Oktoberfest. A Maß is 1 litre and there are over 7 million consumed over the two and a half weeks of the festival. Some 6 million people visit Munich for the festival.
Of those 6 million visitors the largest group of foreigners are the Austrians; they are just over the border. Next are the Italians; their numbers are so great one of the Oktoberfest weekends is referred to as the Italian Weekend. The third largest group are the Australians.
Australians always want to strive to be the best and Oktobestfest is no different. In the 2.5 weeks of the festival there are 7,000 injuries that require hospitalisation and of those 5,000 were Australians. The Australian government even establishes a temporary embassy at the festival just to handle lost passports and other issues experienced by their citizens.
The beer is excellent,, the food perfectly matched, the company outstanding and the snuff perfect for blowing your sinuses clear.
To summarise Oktoberfest: there is the beer, lederhosen for the men, dirndl outfits for the women and large tents of inebriated people. It’s the best!
Munich
Bike Riders
A guide said to us the bike riders are either suicidal or homicidal. That pretty much sums it up. If you have any doubts just get out of the way.
History
In Munich you can’t avoid the history of the Nazis and their time in this city. What intrigued me is that the Israel embassy now occupies the site of Gestapo headquarters and Hitler’s offices are now occupied by a modern jazz ballet school. I love the irony.
90% of Munich was destroyed in WW2 and the rebuild was only complete in recent years. Some 3 million bombs were dropped on the city during the war and they are still finding ones that never unexploded.
The Germans are reliable credit risks. In 2010 they paid off the debt that came out of the Treaty of Versailles which brought an end to WW1. That’s 90 years after the treaty and after Germany was so destroyed during WW2.
Beer forms a major part of Greman culture. (I would add the same applies in the Czech Republic and other countries we visited on this trip.) Back in the days of the 30 year war Sweden invaded Munich. Who knew the Swedes invaded anybody. After being occupied for two years the Munich locals paid the Swedes to leave with gold and a thousand of barrels of beer. Sounds like a good deal.
Munich is a city of history, museums including the BMW museum, art galleries, beer halls and magnificent gardens.
From Germany our travels take us to southern England which will the subject of the next log.
A Traveller's Tale 