I was throwing out some old papers just now, and came across a train ticket from last September. And I saw that it was from the day after Pamela's family and I had been in Munich, and decided to check and make sure that I had the right date for that in my website.

That's when I saw that I didn't have anything at all about that old weekend in my website. And I was astounded, because, (as you'll soon see,) it was a special weekend, and well worth telling about.

So, Saturday, September 24, 2005. When Pamela and her parents were going on holiday to Italy for a week. (And I was staying, and working. I don't get to choose my holidays like they do.) Now, I don't think that I expected to see them at all. But, I finished rather early on Saturday. And they were a bit late getting everything together, and getting out the door. Not only that, but they were not driving all the way to Italy that day: they were only going to Munich, in the extreme South of Germany, and staying the night there, so that they could go to a special Garden show on Sunday.

Now, being madly, devotedly in love with Pamela, I decided to spend as much of the twenty eight hours that she'd still be in Germany, together with her. So, I hopped on the next possible train, and it was decided that we'd all meet in Kassel, (Which is on both my and their routes to München.) Now, they ended up finding more packing and preparing to do than they'd expected, and I got to Kassel about an hour before they did. So, I walked about town, had something to eat, and enjoyed the lovely early autumn day. (With lots of birds singing, and children playing in the park, where I sat for some time reading.) It was very very pretty.

And at length, Pamela's family got there, and we were then all in the car, headed into the South of Germany. (Does it tell something about how deep my love goes, that I chose to spend my free weekend sitting alone in trains for 16 hours, so that I could sit in a Car with Pamela for five hours or so, and then have an evening with her? Truly though, I had been looking forward to that car ride for some hours already; snuggled together in the backseat, with lovely Deutsch scenery passing bye in the sunlight.

Now... as it was Frank's birthday, on that day, they'd decided to try something different; They'd go to Octoberfest. They'd never been there before, but thought it might be worth a look. So that's what we did, when we got to the city. (It must have been at least eight in the evening, if not nine.) After going through crammed streets, and mobs of drunken pedestrians, we found a parking house, and then we were there: In the center of the biggest beer festival on earth. (Surely, everyone has heard of Octoberfest? I don't need to inform you that it's drinking hall after drinking hall after drinking hall, with lots of beer stands in between, so that the people don't get thirsty while waiting to get into one of the drinking halls. Oh, and there's Oom-pah-pah music as well.)

It was... as much as I could have imagined it to be. And in the first fifteen minutes, walking to and through it, I think I saw nearly every stage of drunkenness: smiling, laughing, singing, kissing unknown strangers, not being able to walk a straight line, even with arms linked with four other people, puking, one fist fight, and passed out on the grass. I must say that I much preferred those who were kissing strangers and singing to those that I got to at the end of the list.

We found our selves a beer hall though, (it took some persuasion though: they were all closing down for the night, and the mother had to explain that it was there first time there, and that they were leaving the next day, and that it was the father's birthday too.) It wasn't as strange as it seemed though, that they were closing their doors at 9:30 or 10:00. Because they opened every day by noon, (I think,) and the party was going on for at least two, if not four, weeks. Anyhow, we got into this beer hall, and sat at a table, and got a liter each of fine German Beer. (Not that I'm a beer lover. But, well, I couldn't bloody well sit down, and order orange juice, could I?) So, we drank, and heard the band, and saw the other drinkers in their traditional Bavarian costumes, and sang the traditional German Drinking songs, (Standing up on the benches, with our arms linked!) And talked loudly, to be heard over the hundreds others also talking loudly.

It was really... rather fun. It was not only SEEING this age old cultural tradition, but taking part of it Myself. (And mumbling through the drinking songs, without a clue to the words, sounding just like a true Drunkard.) Well, after a whole liter of beer, we were all a bit past the giggly stage, (except for Pamela: she'd just touched hers. And then, being a gentleman, I thought it my responsibility to finnish it off for her.) So, we went singing our way back to the car, and worked our way out of the city. Because, you see, it's well known that it's impossible to find ANYwhere to stay in Munich during this beer festival. So, off we went, in search of a good town with a hotel we could stay at. We looked here, and there, and found two or three that were already full. And passed a police car... and then doubled back, because we'd missed the hotel in that last little town, (which turned out to be full anyhow.) And on our continuation, we saw the police car again... this time parked on the road, and pulling everyone over. Great. So, we rolled down the windows, Pamela as serious as could be, and the two parents in the back seat having a great time, and beaming at everyone.

"And where are you all going?" was the question that was asked. So, Pamela explained our situation, that we'd just gotten south that evening, and that we were now looking for a place to sleep, with great bursts of agreement from the back seat. I'm sure that the kind police officers was just glad that neither of those two were driving. "Well..." he said, "Everything around is pretty full, but there's one town a half hour's drive further on, where you might have a chance."

We thanked him, earnestly, (and merrily, from the backseat,) and went on our way. And had to burst out laughing, when we thought of how bad it would have been if Pamela would have had to have the Breath test. But along we went, and got to this town... and somehow even found the hotel. And our luck went much further than that. It was booked solid for the next month. BUT... someone with a reservation had a broken down car on the highway, and had had to cancel. THEN, there was the fact that it was already one in the morning, and the only reason there was anybody there to let us in, was that someone else had forgotten their keys, and needed to wake up the manager. So, we got two single rooms for the night, at a rather reasonable price too. The beds were thin, but then Pamela and I snuggle like sardines anyhow, and I think the parents were tired enough not to really notice.

So, that was the Octoberfest Experience.

The next day, They were going to the Garden show, but I decided to take the slower trains back to Lüneburg, (It being one third of the price that way, if not even less.) So I got onto the trains at 10:40. -And got home at 22:24. (And now I can throw the two tickets away, as there's no more need for them.)

Now, I'll have to see about getting the picture from Octoberfest linked to this page...

HERE IT IS!!! HERE IT IS!!! The 23 kb JPG file from Octoberfest! (The fourth beer is for the Pamela: the Camera Operator.)