My 1999 European Vacation - Page 5
Saturday evening I met Andreas and his girlfriend Ingrid for a few hours. Unfortunately our time did not allow me to spend more time with him, even though I would have loved to see his collection. But it was a pleasure meeting and talking with both of them and I will make sure, that I spend at least a day with them on my next trip there. I better plan on spending at least 2 months next time ;-).
On Monday Jim and I ventured out on our own and drove to Hungary, which is only about 1 1/2 hours from Vienna. I met my friend and after a delicious and long lunch (Hungary is known for their food specialties and long lunches/dinners) he gave me a tour of the factory there. There were quite some changes since last year, expansions etc. I found out that unfortunately the chocolate flavored candy is no longer produced there, the cola candy is only produced in Austria, but luckily I was able to get some cherry and raspberry candies, which we can’t get here or in Germany/Austria either.
Tuesday we headed back to Germany after stopping by Johann’s office to say good-bye. At least I was in the frame of mind to have him take 1 picture with the original dispenser.
Just finished unpacking, when I had to pack again for our trip to Munich to the Oktoberfest on Thursday. What can I tell you about the Oktoberfest? It’s a 3 week long carnival with drinking, singing, dancing, eating and lots of rides for all ages and daredevils. It starts in the morning and the music stops and beer and food stop being served at 11:30PM, except in 2 exclusive tents, where the celebrities go to and mere mortals aren’t even allowed in there. It originated as a wedding celebration of Koenig Ludwig in 1810, where all of Munich’s citizens celebrated with him for a whole week and now people come from all over the world.
It’s impossible to find a seat in one of the 20 beer tents they have there, unless you make reservations a year in advance. Luckily my cousin’s Company had reserved tables in one tent and we could sit once in a while, taking a breather between the rides and the dancing and just walking around, taking in the sites.
Would you like to know and see more about the famous Oktoberfest, which is the biggest Fest in Germany? If so, here is the website:
On Friday we picked up our grandson Brian and his brother Matthias and took them to their first Oktoberfest experience that afternoon. The crowd is unbelievable, but we enjoyed it again and so did the boys.
Sunday we drove back home to Christl’s house and my other sister Irina, who lives in Berlin, came to spend the last week with us.
