Oktoberfest!

Wet, fun, laughter, wet, umbrellas, dirndls, bretzen, wet, bier, lederhosen, wet, friends, excitement, crowds, wet, bratwurst, cinnamon almonds, gingerbread cookie necklaces, and wet. All of these adjectives are a great description of our Oktoberfest experience! As you can see, wet is a common occurrence. It was very rainy, but we didn't let that stop us.

Our first biers at Paulaner bier garten

We woke up at 5:15 a.m., got dressed in our dirndl and lederhosen, and took a bus to Munich that left the Army base at 7:00 a.m. We arrived in Munich around 10:30 a.m. This was just late enough that we had trouble getting inside of a beer tent, but it was just early enough that getting into a biergarten (beer garden) was no problem. And, as fate would have it, we just so happened to land in the same beer garden as 7 other Army couples (all of which were friends of Justin and me). This was bound to be a recipe for fun!

And it was! The guys enjoyed talking about Afghanistan,

Justin and John

while the girls enjoyed giant bretzen (pretzels) and talked about places to shop in Germany. 

Brittany and me

The only downside to our Oktoberfest extravaganza was the constant wetness. Did I mention that the beer gardens are outside? Making it impossible to stay dry. Luckily, we brought an umbrella, as did the other couples. 

So, we stayed at our beer garden table and watched all the tables rapidly fill around us. The golden rule of Oktoberfest: Once you find a table, DO NOT leave it! Ever!

The second most important rule of Oktoberfest: When the thought of going to the restroom enters your mind, stand up and get in line. That way, when it's finally your turn to use the restroom you will actually have to go pretty badly.

Unfortunately, I was not a good steward of rule number two. I was 2 biers in, and had to go pretty bad (mind you 2 biers in Germany is like a 2 liter of soda). So that's a lot of beer with no bathroom break. Needless to say, the thought of peeing myself literally went through my head (several times) as I waited in line for literally ONE HOUR before I could use the toilet. Hence, the adjective crowds.

After awhile our friends left, and Justin and I made it inside the actual beer tent, but not before accidentally dropping 2 stein glasses into Justin's backpack. Side note: the bathroom lines are not as long inside. So we enjoyed the warmth and dryness of inside for a bit. Then, we headed back outside to grab some food and try to "experience" Oktoberfest at it's finest. However, it was so wet and still pretty crowded, so this grand idea turned out to be not so grand. 

We ate a bratwurst for dinner. This was the best bratwurst and bread that I have had in Germany! Then we ordered some almonds that were roasted in cinnamon, and let me tell you, nothing compares (so far) to hot, yummy, delicious almonds! And of course, to be traditional, we bought a huge gingerbread cookie necklace that said, "Oktoberfest".

Cookie Necklace

Overall status of our trip? Success. We are considering going back this weekend, not to drink bier, but to experience the culture of the fest more. However, I think we got our fair share of that. I failed to mention the stumbling drunk people, the singing Germans, the puking red head, the random kissing and spanking of strangers, and "passed out hill". Yes, I think we might skip going back this weekend. Prost!

Ramstein, Germany: Mini-America

Now we know where to go if we are ever in need of some "American" time. Ramstein Air Force Base is like a mini-America. We had Macaroni Grill and Chili's all in one weekend. Don't get me wrong, German food is amazing, but sometimes it's nice to have something from home that isn't McDonald's.

The PX there is like a mall, so we spent some time just walking around and feeling "American". I wish there was a New York and Company or Dick's, but it was still nice to have that mall feel. Justin bought some Oakley sunglasses, so at least one of us had something to show for our "mall" visit.

There was also a bizarre going on, so this made our trip even better. We grabbed a beer and walked around this German type market, all while still being on base. We bought a few German Christmas decorations (I can't wait to start decorating for Christmas) and a few bottles of wine. One of the vineyards that was selling wine was only a few minutes away from where we were, and it was tasty wine. We also bought a German porcelain cooking spoon holder, and it is beautiful (handmade and painted). 

Overall, it was a fun weekend trip. And it was a beautiful drive. Plus, remember, on the Auto Bahn there is no speed limit ;) At times we were going a steady 100 miles per hour (which is about 160 kilometers per hour).

I'm looking forward to our next trip- OKTOBERFEST in Munich!

Love at First Sight: PARIS

Paris is absolutely amazing! It's probably the best place we have been so far. We were both happy that we opted for the bus tour, because we learned so much more about the city and the history of Paris that we wouldn't have learned otherwise.

We drove to Ramstein, Germany Thursday night, leading into Friday morning. This was a 3 hour drive for us, in the dark. About 20 minutes into the drive we almost ran into a family of wild boars crossing the roads. Justin swerved just enough to drive in between two boars that got scared. God was really watching over us. 

Once we made it to Ramstein, we met the bus and drove another 5 hours to Paris. We stopped once for breakfast in somewhere in the French countryside. 

Breakfast break

Once we got to Paris we drove around the whole city, and our tour guide basically pointed everything out and gave us an incredible history lesson. We stopped in the Concorde Square to see many of the famous monuments. 

Concorde Square

Then we went to a platform area to see the Eiffel Tower. It is so much bigger in person. It's truly amazing to think about how old the city is and all the famous people and events that have taken place there.

Eiffel Tower

After this we went to the Notre Dame Cathedral, famous for the hunchback of Notre Dame story. It was beautiful. We toured the cathedral and then walked around the Latin Quarter, which is basically a bunch of French stores and cafes. We got some crepes while we were walking, and they were so delicious. I got Nutella and cinnamon in mine, and it was so warm and incredible. We found a Shakespeare book store that had been in the city forever, so we went in there for a bit. It was just fun to walk around, people watch, and see how the French live. There are zero houses, only apartments.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Shakespeare and Company Bookstore

After this we went to the hotel and got ready for our 5 course French dinner. Dinner was really great. It was right by the Moulin Rouge, so it was nice to be able to see that famous performance house. We decided not to go to a show, but seeing the outside of it was cool. For dinner the first course was something called Kir, which is basically champagne and raspberry liquor. It was really good. Then I had melted goat cheese salad. All of the cheese in Paris was absolutely amazing. My main course was salmon in a special French white sauce, and it was really good. Then we had a course of just cheese and bread, and again, all of the cheese was really tasty. And finally for dessert I had a chocolate mousse which was like fluffy ice cream/pudding. We also got a half bottle of red wine each. French wine is typically good, but the house wine isn't so good, drinkable, but not what I was expecting.  

5 course dinner

Moulin Rouge

Sunday we went to the Palace of Versailles (pronounced Ver-sigh). It was where King Louis XIV all the way to Napoleon III lived and ruled France. The palace was huge and the inside was really fancy and nice. But the part I liked even better was the gardens outside. It was literally miles and miles of separate gardens that reminded me a lot of "The Secret Garden". There were mazes with leaves and trees as walls. The landscape was created in such a way to prove that men control nature, and not the other way around. It is interesting how the people back then thought and contemplated everything and every decision they made. They were much more philosophical than we are these days.

Palace Gate

Gardens and Palace in the Background

Then we went to the Arc de Triumph, which is an enormous archway that Napoleon had built to honor those who fought and died in the French Revolution. Under the arc there is a grave of an unknown soldier to represent all the lives that were lost to reach a French victory. There are flowers and an eternal flame always on the grave. There is a passage way underneath the street you are supposed to walk through to reach the arc, because it is in the middle of a very busy roundabout. But Justin and I didn't know that until we ran across this incredibly busy street to get to the arc. The arc seemed like the center of Paris because there were about 8 streets meeting in this roundabout, which was created around the arc.  

Arc de Triumph

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

After that we went to the Louve Museum, which has tons of famous artwork. It is know for the pyramids outside of it. Inside it is a bit overwhelming. There is so much to see, so we just picked a few things that we were interested in. We saw the "Mona Lisa", Leonardo de Vince's famous painting. We also saw several other paintings by him. Then we saw a sculptor by Michalangelo and one from Greece which was really, really old. We also saw a sphinx that was stolen from Egypt that was dated back to 1200s B.C. How could something be that old? It's almost surreal to think about.

"Mona Lisa" by Leonardo de Vince

Inside the Glass Pyramid

After this we had a 4 course meal instead of 5. Of course always starting with Kir to drink. Then I had mussels in leek sauce, duck in honey sauce for my main course (duck is really popular in France, so I tried it and it was really good), and an ice cream pastry for dessert, which was really good. We also had some red wine again with dinner, and it was much better than the night before.

After dinner we went on a boat ride of the Sane River. It was really cool because the river goes by all of the famous monuments, and it's really cool to see them lit up at night. The Eiffel Tower was the most amazing to see because every hour, on the hour, it "sparkles" and the lights just go crazy. The boat ride also had a speakers in the seats, so you could listen to the commentary and learn even more about the city. There is a bridge that lovers put locks on (like a pad lock), and that supposedly represents that their love we be locked forever.  

A kiss under the Lover's Bridge is just as good as a lock :)

Eiffel Tower from our boat

Then Monday, our last day, we went back to the Eiffel Tower to actually go inside it to the top. Justin and I walked up the first two floors, which was about 700 steps, but to get to the very top we had to take an elevator. It was a little cloudy so we couldn't see very far out, but it was really cool to be up that high. It was 280 meters high (I'll let you do the conversion to feet). There are souvenir shops and restaurants on the first floor, so we went back there to buy a few things. After that we got another crepe, this time with ice cream on top, yum. Then we went to lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe in Paris, and walked around a bit before leaving.

Making our climb to the top

The top! Very foggy and rainy :(

It was a really fun trip! We both fell in love with Paris! It is just an amazing place. Full of life, love, and history.