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From cycling to Oktoberfest!

My bike trip ended a day early. Not because something bad happened, but on the contrary. I was going to Oktoberfest!


The famous Bavarian beer festival had just begun, and I had planned to make my way to Munich after returning the bike in Bologna. In high school, my family hosted an exchange student from Munich and we were still friends; his family works in the food industry and I had asked him to give me the cook's tour of Oktoberfest. The plan was to arrive Sunday night and attend on Monday to avoid the weekend crowds. But his schedule and the weather changed; on Friday, we were to go on Sunday instead. As I had woken up on Saturday morning with a bicycle in northern Italy, this presented a small problem.


In 24 hours I had to do the following:

- Bring the bicycle to Bologna, 120 miles south.

-Get from Bologna to Munich, 350 miles north

-Get some sleep so I could enjoy Oktoberfest!


After riding 20 miles to Treviso, I boarded a train, connecting in Venice, and continuing to Bologna. I had never been to Venice and had wanted to visit, but bicycles aren't allowed! Another time, perhaps...

One of the gates in the city of Treviso, across a moat


After my mishap in Bologna with the unpurchased bus ticket, I made sure to buy my ticket for the train and stamp it prior to boarding. (Of course, since I had made sure to do the right thing, nobody ever checked my ticket!)


I made it to Bologna, returned my bike, retrieved my duffel back, and repacked. I was able to get a last-minute bus ticket from Bologna to Munich for only 31 €, so I was off to the bus station where I boarded a FlixBus to Verona. I had a 2-hour layover to enjoy some dinner there, and then boarded a second bus to Munich. We stopped at the German border where guards checked our passports (what about the Schengen zone? Apparently this was to stop migrants). We pulled into Munich at 3:30am on Sunday morning.


Here's where my frugality may have got the better of me. I walked to the bus - the last one of the night - to get to the suburb where my friend lived. But I lost my sense of direction and walked half a mile in the wrong direction. (Did I mention that I usually have excellent sense of direction?!) I was also lugging my duffel bag on my shoulder and was tired. Having missed the bus, I tried to get a Lime scooter, but was unable to download the app, having never used it before. Rideshare apps don't yet exist in Munich and I was not going to pay 30 for a 5 mile taxi ride! I ended up finding my way to a train station, where many a drunken post-Oktoberfest Lederhosen-clad guy was hanging around. Train to bus and I arrived at my friend's house around 5:45am.


Walking probably would have been faster. Fortunately, I was able to nap for about 4 hours.


My friend let me borrow his Tracht and I

was ready to go!























From his house we used bicycles to ride the 5 miles downtown, and locked them up on a fence near the event. Dozens of other cyclists had done the same.


We arrived around noon and a parade was in full swing! Traditional music and dress:



In many ways the Oktoberfest was like a big fair. It had rides, games, and food. My favorite ride was the Tobaggan, which consisted of a very fast conveyor belt taking you up to another level, where you climb up stairs and ride down a slide. The entertainment came with the conveyor belt - you had to jump on and lean forward not to fall because it was moving so quickly. But for plenty of drunks....well, let's just say that there was a crowd watching and cheering them on!


And of course, the beer tents. My friend and his friends work in the industry and got us prime seats in the Augustiner tent. People were drinking, dancing, eating...it was all good fun!


Augustiner beer Augustiner tent Hacker-Pschorr tent


My friends had to work the next day so they didn't stay late. I stayed behind and walked around. I saw lots of PDA among Tracht-wearing guys and Drindl-wearing ladies!


One of my fraternity brothers and some of his friends happened to be at the Hacker-Pschorr tent, so I went over there shortly before closing time to enjoy a beer and the environment there. That band played more modern (i.e. American pop music) songs, which took a bit away from the authenticity for me, but it was still a fun day to experience Munich's biggest cultural event!

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