So I took an early train (8am) to Hamburg where I caught the train directly to Ingolstadt. About 7 hours later, I was in Bavaria & Freddy was at the train station waiting for me. We found each other without a hitch, my train was on time, & life was good.
It was great seeing Freddy ... & even better that I was with someone who spoke English fluently since I still haven't learnt any German (more on that later). So Friday night, Freddy & I hit up the local Oktoberfest. I don't know what I was expecting to be honest, but I know I was surprised to essentially see a giant carnival/fair. We visited the beer tents, but couldn't find a place to sit, so we ended up at the Shamrock Irish Pub, which is owned by his Scottish housemate Harry. There I tried German beer & found that I liked it quite well. I also got to meet Freddy's younger sister, Ariana, who is 16.
Saturday, Freddy & I slept in (ok, I slept 'til 8am & I woke him up at 11am). We made lunch & then headed to the train stattion. Luckily the north train station is only a 5 minute quick walk from his place as we were running late! We arrived just as the train pulled in, but had to get our tickets. Luckily the train conductor waited for us as we would have waited another hour before we could take the other train! Once in Munich, we were to meet up with Freddy's brother Max. Max also speaks English, so it was a pleasurable day.
Munich is an experience ... particularly during Oktoberfest. There were loads of drunk people, most in traditional Bavarian costume. The queue at the beer tents was at least an hour & a half. We opted out of that & instead ate some Bavarian food (wish I could remember the name of it; it was really yummy - kinda like gnocchi, but beter). After eating, we decided to walk up the hill where we could overlook the entire Oktoberfest. I didn't realize how big it was & the number of people was incredible! There is a statue, the saint of Munich, on this hill & you can climb up in her much like the Statue of Liberty. (Actually, she was a gift to Munich from the US.)
So we paid out 2 euro fee & climbed to the top. From there, we could look out & really see Munich ... and the Alps!
After our gaunt to the top, Freddy decided it was time to act like little kids & ride the rides. The guys convinced me to go on a water ride, though I told them that if I got wet, though each owed me a beer. I assumed I would get wet. Ha, yeah right. The guys didn't owe me a thing. After the water ride, Freddy
really wanted to go on a roller coast. We found a cheaper one & rode it. Max wouldn't go because he says he doesn't like roller coasters. Well, Freddy & I had a blast on that!
Before we left, I managed to purchase a Bavarian flag (the German flag is boring, I think, & the German state flags are so much better because of the colors & the crests.) & a beer stein, though it's really called a krug. (Stein is German for stone.)
We walked around the city about 8pm as the guys were desperate for a beer. I just wanted something to drink! I didn't care if it had alcohol or not. Arriving back in Ingolstadt about 10:30pm, I was more than ready for bed. Freddy told me to wake him up at 11am the next day so we could eat before my 1pm train back.
The weekend, overall, was a lot of fun. It was nice to get away from Osterbruch for the weekend & spend time with people my own age. However, I remembered how frustrating Freddy can be sometime - especially when it comes to his opinions. But like I said, overall, it was great. And I didn't spend a lot of money!
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