The long awaited Oktoberfest post. We arrived in Munich around the early afternoon with only one task on our mind: find a dirndl. It’s only right to wear a traditional dirndl to Oktoberfest to really embody the whole experience. Luckily, we found a lovely pop-up shop nearby the hostel so we ventured off to find the perfect wear for our upcoming weekend (life lesson: google maps is the only acceptable form of navigation in Europe or else you’ll be aimlessly wandering the streets of any city in the wrong direction for 20 minutes — thank you apple maps). After a small accidental detour, we finally arrived at the shop and found the perfect traditional dirndls for our weekend in Munich. The dirndls were certainly an investment piece, but we opted to splurge on them in hopes we’ll be attending another Oktoberfest in the future (we’re already planning a trip back). So if you think about it, the dirndls will pay themselves off in the long run for price/wear, right? It’s free at that point.
#girlmath
You know what they say: never go shopping on an empty stomach. Unfortunately, we did not abide by the laws of womanhood — leaving the two-hour shopping spree hungry and exhausted.. hangry one might say. Luckily, we discovered a local pub serving traditional German food so we opted for grub here. Following dinner, we wandered back to the hostel where we were greeted by our lovely roommates and drinking buddies for the next few days at Oktoberfest.
The next day, we woke up bright and early for our long day at Oktoberfest. I thought it was really neat that we all wore traditional dirndls to the festival. Plus, I think Germans appreciate it when tourists/travelers actually respect their culture by wearing traditional wear instead of the cheap costume-like outfits people purchase from Amazon. Once we got fitted, we left the hostel and walked a short 10 minutes to the entrance and picked up a beer along the way. Since it was opening weekend, it was insanely busy on the streets with everyone in a traditional dirndl or lederhosen. It kind of felt like the walk to Autzen Stadium on game day: a bunch of people (mostly drunk) dressed up for a fun night ahead.
Once we arrived, we wandered the festival grounds to gain a better feel for the place. The layout was similar to a traditional fair in the US full of rollercoasters, carnival games, food stands and more. We decided to ride one rollercoaster to kick off our Oktoberfest weekend, mostly because Jorney had never ridden one before. Afterwards, we decided to check out the tent section of the festival to see if we could find a table to enjoy a stein of beer. Luckily, we found a spot next to the sweetest German family that we chatted with for the better part of a few hours. The family was genuinely so kind to us, and even taught us the traditional German song sung at the festival before holding our steins of beer high in the sky to shout, “Prost! (cheers in German). It was such a fun afternoon chatting with the family, learning about their culture/traditions. Unfortunately, they did not live in Munich so it was time to say our goodbyes so they could catch their train home. We spent the rest of the afternoon/evening singing, dancing, and yes, drinking lots of beer. By the end of the night, we grabbed a hot dog (glizzy) on our walk back to the hostel, and laid our heads to rest by 9pm. I know, 9pm seems like an early night but those steins of beer were no joke so it was certainly time for us to hit the hay.
The next day, we decided to grab some much deserved brunch with our roommates before embarking on day 2 of Oktoberfest. It certainly helped replenish our souls after the full day of beer, pretzels and bratwurst the day prior. We spent half of the day exploring the city center of Munich, and finishing up some laundry before heading to the festival for the evening. It was certainly a more relaxed night at the festival since we both had long travel days in the morning. After enjoying one stein of beer, we decided to wander around the carnival area of the festival where we discovered the traditional Bavarian carnival ride, Feld’s Teufelsrad or the “Devil’s Wheel.” On this ride, the announcer invites people to sit on a rotating disk that spins faster and faster – flinging people off one by one – until the last person stands. However, the last one standing must go up against the carnival operators who try their hardest to knock the last player off the spinning disks by using a weighted carnival ball and various ropes. It was such a fun and lively atmosphere – definitely one of my favorite memories from Oktoberfest.
Sadly, it was time to part ways with my close friend Jorney before continuing on my solo adventures in Europe. To say we had a fun week would be an understatement. I am truly blessed to have such an amazing friend to share such special memories with in our early twenties – a trip I will cherish for a lifetime! Luckily, it will only be one month (or so) before we reunite again in Eugene. It’s always so bittersweet to leave a city full of new memories – and slightly humbling lugging around all your belongings on your back. I’ve learned that travel days are something I look forward to, yet dread at the same time. Luckily, it was only a 20 minute walk to the bus station before loading on the 5 hour bus to Slovenia. Not so lucky, a thunderstorm will be rolling in for the next few days – forcing me to enjoy some much needed rest days.
Over the next few days, I decided to hunker down at my hostel in the lovely capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana. The last few days were truly so much fun, but I think some rest days were much needed in order to avoid getting sick. In all honesty, I didn’t do much in Ljubljana besides wander around the city center and enjoy some good food. It didn’t help that it was dumping rain the entire time during my stay. Just like that, it was time to leave Ljubljana and head to the next spot: Bled. Honestly, I find myself enjoying the smaller towns rather than cities anyways. Despite the rainy days, I really enjoyed my short time in Bled largely due to the homey hostel atmosphere and laid back hostel friends. Fortunately, my hostel host was genuinely the friendliest and most helpful person ever. We chatted for nearly 30 minutes where he highlighted local hikes, yummy bites and several sights on a city map. The next few days consisted of several hot-girl walks in the rain, local markets and beautiful views of the nearby gorge on the one day of sunshine. In my next trip to Europe, I would love to explore the Balkans by car (including visiting Bled again) in the summertime to fully embrace what the glorious region has to offer – lots of hiking and swimming!
A few days prior, I had reconnected with my friend Anna (New Zealand), and we agreed to meet up again to explore one of the gorgeous national parks in Croatia, Plitvice Lakes National Park. We spent the next few days exploring the park full of dramatic waterfalls and clear blue waters. It was nice to share such a cool experience with another person rather than just by myself.
Don’t get me wrong, I have really enjoyed my time solo traveling. However, I find myself sometimes yearning for the company of another person. It never necessarily feels lonely, but sometimes I think to myself: “Wow, this is amazing! I wish *insert mom/dad/sister/friend name here* could be here too.” It’s truly the most bittersweet part of solo travel.. to experience such beautiful sights, delicious foods, etc. with no one to share it with. Yet, it’s so rewarding to relish in these moments by myself, for myself. It’s something I wouldn’t change for the world.
xoxo,
m