Rome Week 5

Melissa Tait checks in weekly from her study abroad semester in Rome; catch up with her every Wednesday on Trazee Travel.

I’ve been planning to attend Oktoberfest for months and was excited the weekend had finally arrived. My flight was early Friday morning, and after just a short 90-minute trip, we landed in Munich, Germany. After settling into our accommodations, we dressed in the traditional dirndl and went straight to the Oktoberfest grounds, eager to explore the elaborate tents.

The first tent we went to was the world-famous H. The energy inside was unique from the others — people chugging steins on the table, people chanting German songs, waitresses carrying 10-plus beers at a time and the smell of authentic food filling the tent. The high ceiling was decorated in colored fabrics and plants, a common theme throughout the tents. After finding our friends who were able to reserve a table, we joined in on the fun.

© Melissa Tait

My next few days were an incredible experience of viewing Oktoberfest from all different angles — from opening to close, traditional tents to rowdy tents and exploring the city where the energy of the festival remained. I met a variety of people including Munich locals to fellow Americans and truly saw how this 200-year-old tradition spread throughout the world.

I returned to class on Tuesday morning, still recovering from the weekend’s events, but grateful I was able to participate in Germany’s long-reigning tradition. Although I had minimal time in Munich’s city center, Oktoberfest gave me a sense of Germany’s Bavarian culture.

Prost!