Fantastic Voyage
A scrapbook of our Rick Steves Tour
Dachau, Munich, and Oktoberfest
Dachau
Our first stop in Germany was at the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial site. The grounds were a sobering reminder of the many people who suffered at the hands of the Nazi's during World War II. While not much of the original buildings are intact, the museum and memorials during conveyed the reminder that we cannot let something like this happen again.
The group was in a somber mood after the memorial visit. We went into town and dined at a local restaurant rather than waiting to arrive in Munich, which was expected to be crowded due to Oktoberfest.
Munich
We arrived in Munich rather late, and the group had free time. Dawn and I decided to go out into town, learn the Metro and explore the downtown area. Usually, Rick Steves tour groups stay in hotels near the center of town. Due to the Oktoberfest season, we stayed slightly further away from the city center, but our Hotel (the Ibis Munich City West) was immediately next to a subway stop.
The crowds were out in full force that night. We walked through the Hofbräuhaus and people were standing on the tables belting out songs in German. The festive atmosphere was a striking contrast to our visit to Dachau.
The next morning we met up our local guide who gave us a walking tour of Munich including Marienplatz, and the local cathedrals, including the Cathedral of Our Dear Lady with the “devils footprint” on the entrance.
Beer Garden Lunch
The tour ended in Victuals Market, where we had lunch with a few fellow tour members. The food was excellent, but I was a little curious why there was a "horse butcherer" on-premise (hopefully we weren't eating horse sausage). After lunch, Dawn bought a Dirndl, and we headed for the Oktoberfest fairgrounds.
Oktoberfest
Dawn and I spent a good 6 hours at Oktoberfest. It was an exciting blend of the brewery-sponsored beer "tents" combined with more carnival rides than I have ever seen in one place. We saw a few people being carried out due to over-indulging, but generally, the crowd was surprisingly well-behaved. The lines to get into the big-name beer tents were unreal, and you needed a reservation to get a table. We found our way to the Old Oktoberfest (Old Weisn) tent at the southern end of the fair. There we were able to join a few locals and enjoy a few Mass of beer and a grilled chicken. If you get the chance to visit Munich during Oktoberfest - do it!
