The Road to Oktoberfest!
On Wednesday the decision was made that we (Me, Kaila, Anne, Coco and Erik) were going to Munich for Oktoberfest. We had so much doubt that it was going to happen, it was just too complicated and expensive to get to Munich for one day during the busiest time of the year. Kaila did some incredible planning and Thursday night we packed our bags for the opening weekend.
The plan was to stay in Tuebingen on Friday night, get up early and take the train to Munich getting there around 10:30 AM. We would spend the day there and then get back on the train at 11 PM, sleep all day in Tuebingen then head back to Horb. Friday morning we were all so excited and ready for what we thought laid ahead...
It was all just too easy!
After school Anne and I dropped our stuff off at Eric The American's hotel so that we could run and get lunch before the train at 2:30. We stopped by the bank and withdrew some money and recharged our cell phones, just to be safe. I stick my phone in my back pocket and we make our way to Kaufland. We ran into Erik and a bunch of others that were also going to Munich the next day and we stopped to talk to them in from of the Bahnhof. I took out my phone and was holding in my hand as we all confirmed our travel plans, then Anne and I continued to make our way into the Kaufland bathroom. We came out and walked into the produce section when I went to check my phone to see if Kaila had called me. Only when I reached into my back pocket, it wasn't there. Nor was it in my jacked pockets or bag. Ok, weird I must have dropped it in the bathroom, so we walk back and look throughout the entire bathroom, nothing. Retrace my steps back to the bahnhof which is quite literally RIGHT OUTSIDE OF KAUFLAND. Nothing. We go back inside and ask the lady and customore service if anyone has turned it in, nope. Laughing, hysterically, because this trip just seemed way too easy we proceeded to buy our lunch. Then I checked with customer service again, nothing. Ok, well we have to catch a train now! So phone-less I made my way to Tuebingen quite concerned about how the weekend was going to play out.
Since half the group was meeting up in Tuebingen later, Erik went and checked twice for my phone and no one turned it in. Not exactly the best way to start the weekend but it was just too funny to be down about.
When we got to Tuebingen we took the bus to the French Quarters and explored a little. We found a store called Made in Africa and talked to the owner, who is from Ghana. I really think I'm going to like it down there, it kind of has the feeling that it is a city all of its own. We met up with Eric the American and walked through the wine festival in the Marktplatz. For dinner we had yufkas and then sat on the steps in front of the church and drank wine. Then the rest of our group met up with us and we talked about how excited we were for the next day.
Erik and Anne stayed with me and we stayed up talking about life for a few hours until Anne fell asleep, but Erik and I were just too excited. We got to bed around 2 and woke up at 4:30. All three of us showered, packed and were out the door at 5:30 to meet Coco and Kaila. We walked to the bahnhof and bought some breakfast- coffee and a pretzel. The others met us on the train and we began our four hour journey to Munich!
We had to take a few different trains, each one a little more crowded than the last but it just added to the excitement! We got of at the Munich Hauptbahnhof and Coco met some Mexican and Arentinean boys that were studying abroad as well. Our massive group started making our way to the festivities. We lost some people along the way but the five of us made it into a tent, which was only half the task. If you don't have a seat, you won't get served beer, so Kaila went up to a table with a group of Italian guys and we all just sat down. How was it so easy? We visited and danced for hours in the tent having the time of our lives!
After a few hours we made our way outside onto the big grassy hill behind the tents and laid down and people watched. Oktoberfest is definitely one of its own and can't be compared to anything. Our group had some amazing bonding time and shared so many laughs, there are no other people I would have wanted to share that day with. We ended up leaving at 8:30 instead of 11 which turned out to be the best decision we could have made.
The train ride home was a separate event all together. A few people had a little too much to drink and the focus for the duration of most of the trip home was keeping an eye on them and making sure they got on the transfer trains. Completely exhaused we got back to Tuebingen around 11:30 and were able to catch the bus back to the French Quarters. Erik and Anne stayed with me again, Anne fell right asleep. A little while later, there was a thunderstorm and the lightening kept lighting up the entire room. It was absolutely pouring and a beautiful way to end our magnificent day!
On Sunday we went to breakfast at a little cafe and had croissants and coffee. We looked through all our pictures and went over all the exciting events of the day and all the characters we had the pleasure of meeting! On our way to catch the train, we got to see the start of a race! We watched the contestants warm up and watched them shoot the gun off! Aside from it just adding to the coolest weekend ever, it gave me a warm feeling as I realized that this is the city that I'm moving to.
It's amazing to think that everything that I've experienced in the past two months is more than some people get in their entire lives and my adventure is just beginning!!

