London CallingPrehistoric JourneyThe Long and Winding RoadEdinburgh on the FringeSeeing DubleUn Beau DésastreA Walking Tour of BarcelonaThere's No Place Like RomeRome part 2Pretty...Reichenbach FallsOktoberfestNo Museums In MuseumTownThe OperaI Expected More Buddhas
Embed trip
View in Google Earth
Rss news about this trip
GPX Track
Journal
Location
Munich, Germany
Sept 21- 24
Upon arrival I saw people dressed in lederhosen and other traditional German garb and it was awesome. It was early afternoon so Alex and I got some food and got some Bavarian beer with our meal. Everyone was in the Oktoberfest spirit with what they were wearing and with the amount they were drinking.
Because we were not meeting our host, Simon, until 18:30 we decided to go to the festival. We pretty much followed people in the lederhosen and they took us right there. This was incredible. A huge carnival with people dressed like huntsmen and St. Pauli's girl fueled by beer and sausage. We walked around a bit and saw really just enjoyed the atmosphere until we had to go meet Simon.
We were a little nervous about meeting him, this was the first time either of us had couchsurfed and it was the first time he had as well. His profile did not have much on it and after Alex searched through copious amounts of profiles in Munich he finally gave us a response. We met him and he didn't look like a serial killer, so that was good.
He took us to his apartment and to the supermarket across the street where we got supplies, beer is so cheap. It cost less about 50 cents for crappy beer, but still less than one euro for a good beer, so we got a bunch and food as well.
When we got back to the apartment Simon asked us to photocopy our passports for liability reasons and if nothing was wrong with the apartment when we left he would dispose of them. Probably because I am a trusting person and because I some beer in me I immediately handed mine over, and Alex his shortly after. It wasn't until later that we decided that might not have been the smartest decision.
We hung out at the apartment for a little while and then his girlfriend drove us to the Oktoberfest. This time Alex and I decided to participate in some of the attractions. We started with bumper cars and then we went into a haunted house. It didn't even try to scare us, but we still decided to run around it screaming as if there was something to be afraid of. Alex got taken out and I made it to the end where there was a ride, I think it's called a gravitron, where you are in a room and you get spun really fast and the centripetal force allows you to climb the walls.
After that the fair was starting to close so Alex and I hung out at the exit and as a birthday present to Alex I went up to people and made obscene comments or asked them weird questions. We left when most of the people were gone.
We got off the subway at the stop for Simon's apartment and walked to where we thought it was. Then we turned around and walked the other direction. It ended up that Alex and I walked in all four directions away from the metro station and did not find the apartment. All we knew was that it was across the street from a super market so we got a cab to take us there and found the apartment. Simon was at his girlfriend's place for the night so I took his bed and Alex got the cot.
The next day was spent looking up online what Simon could do with black and white photo copies of our passports and basically just hanging out at the apartment. The apartment had a balcony with a plastic shade that came down over the door. I opened the shade a little too hard and it went up further than it is meant to and it broke. This gave us something new to worry about. Simon's reason for getting copies of our passports was to make sure we would pay for any damages, we didn't anticipate any so it seemed like we could have him destroy them when we left. Now something was broken and we had a problem.
For a while we tried to fix it, but the pullstring would not work and the shade would not go even halfway down. Finally we fixed it the best we could and decided to cut our losses and try to enjoy the rest of the day even though it was now evening.
We went downtown to find Oktoberfest, but after walking a little while we were unable to find out how we got there before. Neither of us had eaten dinner, so we went to an Indian restaurant nearby. The place was empty, but we sat down and the food was good. Alex fell in love with his dish, and mine was good but very spicy and upset my stomach a little. After the meal we decided to go back and call it a night because it wasn't worth looking around for the fair when it was late and we didn't know where to go and I wasn't feeling well. Again Simon wasn't there so I slept on the cot with Alex most of the night until I figured Simon wasn't coming back and I took his bed again.
On Thursday we found our way to Oktoberfest and got there at 17:00 and we split up to look on our own for about an hour and a half. I went around the whole place and saw the rides, attractions, and the beer gardens. I got a spiebraten (I think) sandwich that looked like it was chicken and bbq sauce, but it was really good. I also passed by a man who looked like he was in his 20s sitting leaning against a wall drifting in and out of consciousness. Most people walked by him staring a little, some approached him and asked if he was okay, and one group of guys posed for a picture with him.
When Alex and I met back up I called Simon and asked if we were going to see him again and mentioned the shade was not working. He said he would be there that night and that he would look at the shade. Then Alex and I decided to look for a beer garden to go to.
The beer gardens were funny and awesome to even just walk through. Imagine hundreds of people in traditional German clothes drinking beer by the liter, singing, and dancing on tables to a band playing German and American music. There were a bunch of these places, but every one we went in was filled inside and out and we could not be served unless we had a seat. While walking around the fair I saw a few more people sitting on the ground some with puke next to them, apparently Oktoberfest is too much for some. After over an hour of searching we found a place to sit at an outside table.
We sat down and got a liter of beer each. When Alex was about 3/5 done his beer he claimed that he didn't know what this rumor about Oktoberfest beer being stronger was all about; he said he didn't feel anything. I told him it was not the same circumstance for me. We each got another liter and then a third. When we were on our third liter, the place was getting ready to close so we had to leave our table and stick around while we finished our beers.
We left after finishing and got back on the subway toward the apartment. When we got off at the stop Alex sat down next to a trash can and said he could not go any further. Trains came and went and I tried to convince Alex we needed to get going and it was not much further. Finally two girls got off a train and convinced Alex that they would help him back and if he stayed the police would get him. True to their word they picked him up with one arm over each of them and walked with me back to Simon's place. Their conditions for helping were that if I ever come across a German or Canadian (their two nationalities) who had drank too much and needed help, I would help them.
The group of us arrived at the apartment to see Simon and his friend listening to records and taking shots. We put Alex on the cot, the girls left, and Simon immediately freaked out about the shade. I tried to explain, but he was livid and didn't care about how just that I had broken it. My original plan was to give him €50 and tell him if it cost more then for him to email a copy of the bill and we'd settle it, but he rejected the offer so I gave him €100 and said to still send a copy of the bill and if there is extra to keep it as an apology and a thank you for letting us stay.
To make matters worse I asked him to give us the copies of our passports because we didn't know his intentions. Simon reiterated that he just made them to go after us for any damages and asked what I was worried about. I told him that we didn't know each other and that for all we know he could be trying to make counterfeit passports. He did not much like the idea that we were suspecting him of such an act and he and his friend started freaking out more. It is difficult to tell someone you are afraid of their intentions without accusing them of anything, but I tired the best I could. Finally his friend set up shots for the three of us to make peace.
We calmed down and Simon said he didn't want to kick us out on the street and that he didn't want to take all of our money before he knew the total cost of damage because he doesn't want us to have a bad experience in Europe and go home broke. His friend left and we went to bed; Alex lying on the folded up cot, Simon on his bed, and me on the wood floor.
Simon got up for work at 8:30 and told me where I could leave the key, and when he left I got on his bed. Around noon I got up and went to the super market for some food. When Alex got up he went to the bathroom where he must have unleashed everything in his stomach from the last day and a half. We made our train to Vienna, but the whole day Alex was feeling physically miserable.
Comments |
Log in to add comment |
No comments