Oktoberfest

 
I have had many first time experiences that have been "typical German". But these haven't been my favorite. This is not to say that I am not impressed with Germany. In fact, It's the opposite. I feel very at home here and would love to find a way to stay longer. However,  I continue to discover that what makes Germany famous in the world is not necessarily the best it has to offer.

For instance, I went to the Oktoberfest in Munich for the first time only a month after I arrived in Bamberg. My friends and I went all out buying the expensive Dirndl and giving into the outrageous costs of the German beverages. But when we arrived, we could barely find a table to sit at and everything was extremely crowded. We ended up sitting with a group of Italians who were very kind. Overall, we saw more foreign tourists than Germans themselves. You got the feeling that the Oktoberfest was once great but you could tell that tourism had stolen the traditional atmosphere that  it once was. The next weekend, we attended a beerfest in Bamberg which was not nearly as big as the Oktoberfest, but was filled with German music, traditional singing and EVERYONE wearing the traditional clothing. My favorite experiences are those that happen outside of the tourist attractions where real German culture truly is displayed.

And, yes, I miss peanut butter. But I fortunately have a dear friend that supplied me some in the mail.

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