the red beret at Oktoberfest

The Red Beret at Oktoberfest!

As I said, not many pictures from Oktoberfest.  It was an interesting time, though.  A group of us left Berlin around 7pm on train.  The first train was relatively quiet and we switched in Frankfurt am Main for the train to Munich a little after midnight.  Most of us really just wanted to sleep on the second train, but with inexpensive places they keep the lights on, so it's not easy.  But we knew we were on the right train when, around 2:30 or 3am, a huge group of Germans dressed in Lederhosen and Dirndles came on the train and started drinking in preparation for Oktoberfest.

Yes, really.

We arrived a bit before 6am, already exhausted, and headed over to the festival.  A friend and I were couchsurfing, so we got into a Biergarten early but left before noon to go meet our host.  Upon arrival, we took a nap and then spent the afternoon exploring Munich a bit.  We went back to the festival the day after and actually got in some of the tents, which was pretty cool.  It's just a fun atmosphere.  It's not as bad as I expected, really, though I was shocked to see small children there with their parents.  But in the tents there was music and everyone was just singing, talking, eating, and, of course, drinking.

Germania looking over the crowds.  Mind you, it's about 8:30 AM.

(sidenote)

Hello friends, readers, or anyone who has randomly stumbled upon this silly person in a red hat,

I just wanted to excuse myself for the lack of postings in the last few months.  A lot has changed since the Beret and I began our adventure in August.  The main thing is, I changed my mind.  A lot.  And decided to change my major.  Which meant it was best to wait on studying in France.  Which means that the Red Beret is actually Stateside again.  But this does not mean that the adventures will end!  Instead, there will be fewer and they will not take place in Europe for the next year and a half until I do study in France.

Another thing is that I got a little bit lazy on the picture-taking aspect.  And my camera died at Oktoberfest, so I have very few from there.  Also, towards the end I got so busy in Berlin with my classes, volunteering, and program activities that I hardly had time to breathe, much less post my adventures.

So a big I'M SORRY from the soul and the hat, but we'll catch up and be back before long!

Here's what you can look forward to:

-Oktoberfest (all 3 pictures before my camera died)
-A Polish border town
-Dublin, Ireland
-Berliner Weihnachtsmarkt
-Beckerich, Luxembourg
-Brugge

...and perhaps a few extra that I may have forgotten.

the red beret in Czech Republic: Prague

The Red Beret enjoying a Trdlník in Old Prague

September 2012- Prague
Day 1:  The Tower and Charles Bridge

Up the tower: the view from above

On the Charles Bridge

Walking back

Day 2:  Walking Tour

A market in Prague

Maria and Marionettes

tribute to Franz Kafka

Glockenspiel

John Lennon "Imagine" wall

Post-tour

Czech beer- Na zdraví!

Prague at night, from above

Day 3:  The Palace grounds

National History Museum

and sbohem to Prague.

the red beret in Germany: Weimar

September 2012

A trip to Weimar, another city in Thüringen and the heart of the Weimar Republic, Germany's first attempt at a democratic government.  There's a lot of history, but not much else.  We also visited the ex-concentration camp Buchenwald, which is about a 30-minute drive from central Weimar.  I didn't take any photos there, you can reference a post on my other blog if you want to get a feel for a concentration camp.  (The other one was in Belgium, but you get the same feeling no matter what camp you visit).

Bach rockin' the Red Beret in Weimar.

Festivities in front of the opera house.

Goethe and Schiller are all dressed for the occasion!

Goethe's house

BAUHAUS, School of Architecture

Soviet cemetary

Center-town Weimar on a Sunday afternoon.

the red beret in Germany: Erfurt

September 2012

Erfurt is the capital of Thüringen, a province in Germany (famous for their bratwurst).  It was hardly touched during the Second World War, so much of the architecture is very traditional German.  It was also part of East Germany and some remnants of the GDR days can still be found.  I don't have many pictures, unfortunately, but it was a sweet little town.  A friend and I liked it so much that we went back during fall break.

The Red Beret posing with "Bread," a character from a popular GDR children's program.  Six other characters from this show are scattered all around Erfurt.

The richest hot chocolate ever tasted, and a lavendar praline.

ducks!