Oktoberfest!

[Frank McGrath]

Any body going to Oktoberfest this year. We will be in Munich on Tuesday late afternoon for Fest. I'm wearing my kilt. See ya there.

Frank

[Nighthawk]

I'm doing it a bit here in Denver. We usually have a pretty decent Oktoberfest celebration. Germany, though! Wow! That would be great! Have a good time.

[O'Callaghan]

I envy you. With luck I might make it to the Oktoberfest weekend at the Md RenFest this year, but not the real thing! Mind you, I've imbibed at beerhalls and beer gardens in Munich long ago, but I've never been there for Oktoberfest. I used to go there with my work at one time, when I worked in London.

They have a park there called the Englischer Garten (English Garden) and in the middle of it is the Chinesischer Tuerm (Chinese Tower), next to which there used to be a very good Mexican restaurant! I recommend the 'mole'.

They also have a clock tower that has mechanical knights that come out and joust every hour on the hour. However, one is Bavarian and the other is German, and the Bavarian always beats the German. This is a small clue that they don't regard themselves as Germans, but as Bavarians instead.

They talk different from Germans, as if the language barrier between German and English weren't enough. They don't say 'Guten Tag' (good day) when they greet you, but Gruss Gott (greet God), and when they ask if you enjoyed your meal they say 'dass hat geschmeckt gut?' (did that taste good?) but they run things together and slur their words so much it comes out as just one word sounding something like 'schmet?'.

Luckily, beer and Bier sound the same and mean the same thing.

[A Hay]

I will be in Munich for the Oktoberfest on the afternoon and evening of 30 Sept. Several from the Army base here are taking a bus there and back.

Don't think I will be kilt-wearing however. In that atmosphere you don't want to call too much attention to yourself or your group!

Tom