OKTOBERFEST!

Our first day in Munich was also the first day of Oktoberfest 2006. The opening parade began just a couple of hours after we arrived. I think it was my favorite part of Oktoberfest. The horses were gorgeous! Notice the crocheted head piece that many of them wore. Each brewery had a different color horse.
The little girl shown was so cute. She nearly stopped the parade when she spotted a flower that had fallen off a float and she ran over to pick it up.
There was only one winery represented in the parade.
I loved the way the horses were decorated and flowers were everywhere. At the end of the parade all the people just fell in behind the parade, including us not knowing where we were going. We were just kind of moved along with all the people. Anyway, we ended up at the Oktoberfest grounds which is a huge fairground with rides galore. There were 12 beer ‘tents’ each holding about 8,000 people and every one we went in was full…I’ve never seen so many intoxicated people in my life…I felt a little out of place as I don’t drink beer.
We went to Oktoberfest four nights while there. It was addictive…great place for people watching!

















The food...

At one of the concession stands I had a hot cheese sandwich. The cheese was a huge chunk and was kept under a burner that melted the cheese. To make the sandwich the girl poured the melted cheese onto the bread. I asked what kind of cheese it was, but couldn't make her understand what I was wanting to know.
Anyone here know? It was so good! >>>June 23...I posted about this on another board and got this answer:
"This is Raclette - pronounced [rah-KLEHT]
The term raclette refers both to the famous cheese from Switzerland as well as the dish. The word raclette is derived from the French word racler which means to scrape."





While in Germany, we spent one day in the Bavarian Alps. There were three ways to get to this castle...an at least 45 minute walk up the mountain, horse and carriage, and bus half the way up the mountain. We chose the bus - wrong choice. We had to walk the rest of the way and that was the steepest part. I walked sideways for the next couple of days! Look at the center of the lower photo. You will see a suspension bridge over the gorge. I was on that to take the first photo. While I was inside the castle I took the photo of the bridge that I had been on. (BTW, Hubby wouldn't go on the bridge)

Neuschwanstein Castle, royal palace in the Bavarian Alps of Germany, the most famous of three royal palaces built for Louis II of Bavaria, sometimes referred to as Mad King Ludwig, who grew up nearby at Hohenschwangau Castle

We walked all the way back down the mountain...that took about twenty five minutes.

Begun in 1869 and left unfinished at Louis's death in 1886, the castle is the embodiment of 19th century romanticism. In a fantastical imitation of a medieval castle, Neuschwanstein is set with towers and spires and is spectacularly sited on a high point over the river gorge.

Oh yes, this castle is the one that Walt Disney used as a model for Cinderella's Castle at Disney World.

Top photo of castle taken from the suspension bridge.
Bottom photo of bridge taken from a window in the castle.
Photos property of D.Cashwell