Oktoberfest!

I have to admit, I had no real idea what Oktoberfest was all about.  I assumed it was an annual event where heaps of people gathered in a park to sit on green grass (BYO picnic blanket) and drink beer.  A sporadic marquee placed here and there and maybe a food stall or two.  But yeah, the gist of it was sitting in a park with a beer with a tonne of other people.  Well the actual Oktoberfest is not too far from my above description but the real thing is definitely no moshpit affair.

There is history behind all the revelry.  The first Oktoberfest was in celebration of a royal marriage and involved a horse race.  The Muncheners loved it so much, they did it the following year and then the next year.. and then the next and so it went on.  Another misconception I had - there is no grass nor a conventional green park for that matter.  The grounds on which Oktoberfest take place was historically a meadow (a green one I would think) but in our current times, for the majority of the year the modern meadow is a asphalt-laden 'field'.  Which also explains why locals don't call it Oktoberfest.  They call it 'die Wiesn' which is German for 'the field/meadow'.  Oh and the 'sporadic marquees'.  I found out they do set up beer tents each year, although these are 'tents' in the loosest possible sense.  The 'tents' take two months to construct and a month to dismantle!  Enough about the facts - on to the frivolities!

My original intention for today was to visit Neuschwanstein, drag Moo along and finally tick the Disney Castle off my list.  However, when I realised it was the 200 year anniversary of Oktoberfest, well I couldn't pass up such an historic event!

At the entrance - it's free!  The weather was absolutely glorious which I have to say, I took for granted.  But maybe the sunshine just follows me?

Super cool shoes with asymmetrical laces, worn with lederhosen and socks.  Must have socks or you will look stupid!  

I realised while on the train to the grounds, if you weren't wearing tracht then you weren't giving Oktoberfest your all.  Seeing so many people dressed up in lederhosen and dirndls was like seeing an entire city going to a costume party.  It was awesome!!  The Bavarians sure are proud of their national dress.  An Asian in a dirndl is a novelty and Moo happily posed for photos when approached by other tourists.

About to head into our chosen tent. 

We turned up bright and early to beat the crowds and settled in the Armbrustschützen tent.  The masses hadn't arrived yet and there were plenty of empty tables around.

I felt a little out of place so put my hair into pigtails to get into the mood.  After studying the menu, we ordered our food and beer.  Well actually, neither Moo or I are big beer drinkers and so we shared a shandy.  I know, I know *hangs head in shame*.  Good news for the beer enthusiasts - the beer purity law and the Bavarian's passion for beer means that you are guaranteed to only have excellent and smooth beers here!

The first picture demonstrates incorrect beer drinking technique.  Note the hand gripping the stein handle.  Tsk, tsk.....Wrong, wrong, WRONG!!  An elderly Bavarian couple sitting near our bench took pity on our novice skills and showed us how things are done.  Hold the stein dammit and use the handle as support!!!  The weight is spread across your hand, prevents fatigue which ultimately equates to more drinking enjoyment!  The waitresses on the other hand carry about five or more steins with each fist and then rest them against their bosom.  I have no idea how they cope but they must have massive biceps and forearms.

Trays of hearty fare.  My sausages and sauerkraut and Moo's veal and mushroom stew... I think.  Num nums!  So tasty! 

We were in prime position to enjoy the oom-pah-pah music and watch some traditional dancing (until the fat Americans sat in front of us).

Lederhosen definitely don't flatter but they are sure good for thigh slapping!

Moo shows the dance troupe how it's done.

Trying to finish the stein.  I tried to finish it in one gulp but I under-estimated the volume of beer.  Moo shows me how it's done.  

Verms and I with the horsies.  So cute.  

I needed my fair share of Oktoberfest souvenirs so next on the purchase list was a Lebkuchen heart.  These are gingerbread heart-shaped biscuits with lovey-dovey messages/pet names on them.  Men given them to women to wear around their neck for all to see.  I... errr.. bought my own.  Schatzi = sweetie/honey/darling!  Hehehe...

It's hat time! 

Inside the Hofbrau tent.  Inside the Augustiner tent.  Yes, there are 'tents'. 

Inside the Ochsenbraterei tent.  So pretty!  Even prettier are the oxen dishes in which they specialise. 

Moo rocks it outside the Lowenbrau tent.  On our way to ride the giant ferris wheel.  

The view from the ferris wheel.  Beer = drunk fun.

As part of the 200 year anniversary, a section of the meadow became a time portal and rewound us back to the years of the historical Oktoberfest.

Mooey patted a fake cow and a fake pig before finally getting her real shetland pony.  So cute and stumpy! 

We then hit the ghost train.  The last time I went on one I was 13 years old and even back then, I thought it was lame.  I still think ghost trains are lame but by ghost trains standards this has got to be one of the better ones.  There was a friendly Freddy Krueger outside!

All that frolicking around, photo-snapping and animal-petting made me hungry.  Well not really but I wanted my fill of German desserts.  We had ordered a germknodel but they must have misheard our shitty accents and we ended up with dampfnudel instead.  Essentially, it's just a bit of dough with custard - one has jam in the centre of the dough, the other doesn't.

A nudel nonetheless and as long as it was served with warm custard, I was happy.  Apple fritters dusted in cinnamon and sugar.  How could I say no?     

With the teenage crowds making their way to the grounds, we were pretty beat and ready to let the vomiters and bierleichen (beer corpses - people so drunk, they have passed out and look dead) take the reins.  I must thank Verms for being a most patient host while Moo and I (especially I) indulged in our touristy behaviour.  Must buy hat!  Must buy magnets!  Must buy stein!  Must buy t-shirt!  Must try to eat everything!  Must take a billion photos! 

So yeah - Oktoberfest.  While it was never high on my tourist list, I'm so glad I went.  My advice?  Do it people!  Do it!!! 

Munich - Day 1

So yep, nine hours after coming back from Paris, here were Moo and I riding the DLR at 6am to London City airport.  This by far was the best choice as for any other airport, Moo and I would have had to leave the house at 5am.

Despite having the biggest eyebags ever, Moo was happy to drive the DLR to the airport.  All that driving was a bit much and she had to have a crash nap at our Munich hotel.  

The hotel was average at best and overpriced due to the Oktoberfest.  I couldn't ask more from it's location as it was opposite the Haupbahnhof and walking distance to the city centre.  What did irk me was the greasy, rude prick manning the reception desk.  Rude on check-in, rude on service, rude on key delivery.  I actually think he was the hotel manager.

After the nanna nap, we ventured to the city centre for some quick sightseeing but more importantly - dirndl buying.  Moo really wanted to get into the spirit of Oktoberfest.  On the train ride from the airport to the hotel we observed a lot of people wearing the traditional dress - dirndls for women, lederhosen for men.  Initially it was quite funny, almost like they were taking the piss out of it.  But as more and more passengers got on the train I realised, 'Hang on, leather shorts are serious stuff in Bavaria!'

Checking out the town gate and some buildings near Marienplatz. 

The New Town Hall and another building... I can't recall what it was.  

On to the important task of the day - buying Moo's dirndl.  We were hoping to each buy one but I soon realised they don't really do 'cheap' dirndls unless you buy one of the slutty interpretations from sex shops.  The next best thing was to head into C&A (the European equivalent of Target) and find something suitable.  We were pretty impressed with the range and even the 'cheapest' lederhosen were still made of goat leather!

Obviously all that's comes at a price and while €99 for a dirndl is a bargain by most measures, I happily declined my purchase while Moo settled on the cute design above.  I will take advantage of the fact that Moo and I are similar sizes and I could always borrow it later on!

We hadn't eaten, so we walked up towards Viktualiemarkt to see what was on offer.

Moo checking out the sausages.  Some very likelife and creepy-looking foxes (inedible).

With dinner in only a few hours, we settled on a currywurst from one of the sausage kiosks. 

Believe it or not, I know a native Munchener - Hai Verms!  This was going to be the first time we had seen each after other in 7 years after living together in a crazy woman's house.  Aaah memories.  To ensure a most authentic take on Munich we had dinner at the Fraunhofer, a beer hall away from the tourist hoards.

The menu with what I guess are the original owners on front. 

Verms and I clinking our spezi.  

Liver dumpling soup.  Moo and I shared it.

My hearty venison stew with a dumpling and cranberry (I think) sauce.  Num nums!  It was like as though I shot my own deer, cut him up and cooked him up myself.  

In the spirit of Oktoberfest, Moo ordered the pork knuckle.  Yum yum.  The meat just melted.

To burn off our dinner, Verms and C then gave us a night walking tour around Munich.  Moo and I then retired to our hotel to rest up for tomorrow's super day at Oktoberfest!

Paris Walking Tour & Macaron Review

Moo had official business to attend to today which left me alone to do whatever pleased me.  Not wanting to shop or see anything specific, I realised that Paris was one city in which I had yet to do the Sandemans 'Free' Walking Tour.

The view from our hotel window of St. Eustache and the Sacre Coeur told me today was going to be a great day for a walking tour.  Paris, seriously, how could anyone not *heart* you?!?!? *muah muah*

While the major sights are within a compact area, it was going to be a fairly difficult task to cover a lot of them.  Ok, I admit, every time I take one of these tours I am wishing for another Mike the Hottie experience but so far, I have only been disappointed. :(  My guide for the day was Halley, a Canadian whose only income derives from giving these tours.  He was an enthusiastic, arty type but definitely no Mike.

I'll admit, my attention waned a bit and I realised that I have retained pretty much zero information from the tour.  I should have taken notes or filmed part of the tour.  But then again, it's not like I'm going to be examined on any of this stuff so it really doesn't matter.

The tour began at Place Saint-Michel in the Latin Quarter.  We also had a little speech near the Notre Dame, Conciergerie and Palais de Justice.  The last of which is the only building to be have been hit by bullets in WWII. 

Next was the oldest bridge in Paris, the Pont Neuf where Halley pointed out the mascarons (I learnt a new word today!) decorating the bridge.  Theses were supposedly caricatures of people who attended the party of ... some king.  They all got rather sloshed and there's even a face which is clearly about to vomit. 

I can't remember why we stood at this part of the Pont Neuf.  I think it's meant to be a cursed/haunted area.  At one end of the Pont Neuf was a statue of the much loved King Henry IV.  He was known for making it possible for all Parisians, rich and poor to have chicken every Sunday.  What a man!!

Next was the Pont des Arts to check out the love padlocks.  

The Pont des Arts along with the Institut de France at one end was where Big told Carrie 'You're the One'.

 

SATC fans unite! 

It was then onto the Lourve and Tuileries Garden. 

It was at the gardens that Mooey joined us, for she had completed her business of the day.  It was also here that Mooey became the only member of the tour group to correctly answer any questions asked by our guide.  She also then liked to provide additional information to his speeches.  She might as well have given the tour herself.

Mooey at Place de la Concorde.  Me posing with the .. you know what.  

We finished up at the Petit Palais and the Grand Palais which was a quick metro ride away from Galeries LaFayette.  Faithful readers of this blog will know that I was in tears last year when I tried to buy some goodies from Sadaharu Aoki.  I had vowed to return and true to my wor, here I was fulfilling stomach duties!

A few sneaky photos of the goodies on offer.

Macarons, cakes and bonbons maquillage ("make-up chocolates") in Frenchie-Japanesie flavours ready for my indulgence.  

I admit.  I didn't need to eat cake or anything sweet for that matter.  I was merely making the most of a lost opportunity.  Before we have the cake, we must have the lunch.  Mooey and I had a very late lunch nearby our hotel at an average cafe whereby I reckon the waiter pretended to not speak English just so he could hear us struggle in our cute, bad French.

My nicoise salad.  Moo with her omelette.  I also had a croque monsieur. 

Mooey on the Eurostar heading back to London.  With her was a bag of el cheapo macarons she purchased in a fit of excitement at Rue Montogueil's market.  They were €10.   

I opened the packet and sampled a few on the ride back to London.  For a cheap packet, you really can't expect much and that's exactly what we got - not much.  I'm certainly no pastry chef, but I know that these little suckers require a fine balance of skill, quality ingredients, ambient temperature and maybe a bit of luck.

One the hallmarks of a good macaron is a smooth shell.  These were definitely bumpy.  

They also didn't contain any filling, rather the two shells were smooshed together.  The shell didn't crumble which is ok I guess and the meringue was airy but not too airy as I have found some Lindt macarons to be.  They tasted ok but I certainly wouldn't buy them again.

Now for the treats bought at the Sadaharu Aoki concession in Galeries LaFayette.  Yes I had intended just to buy macarons but I couldn't help myself once at the counter.

The box didn't enjoy the journey back to London.  I tried my best to straighten the goodies out for a photo.  For all their prettiness, the chosen cakes were the Duomo Mâcha Azuki, a strawberry version of the Duomo Mâcha Azuki (forgotten it's name), Chocolat Pralin and Bamboo.  

I bought all these cakes knowing that Moo and I were going to Germany tomorrow.  I was banking on Smee helping us eat them all but he was a little less than enthusiastic.  What to do?  I had to try and eat most of it myself.  Oh well.

The Duomo Mâcha Azuki with red bean filling. A good fist-sized cake.  I had to eat two fists. 

Disappointingly so, I must have set my expectations very high.   While all the cakes were very nice (Bamboo being my favourite), I can confidently say they don't give me reminiscent happy daydreams.  Maybe because I was pretty much forcing myself to eat them all in one go and that dampened my enjoyment.  Maybe I am all caked-out.

Onto Sadaharu Aoki's macarons.  It was these babies who opened my eyes to the more unconventional flavours and confirmed that they do work!

The flavours were Genmaicha, Wasabi, Matcha, Yuzu (above), Ume (above) and red bean.  

The shells were all beautifully smooth, crisp yet not crumbly.  The meringue dense and almost chewy.  These macarons were MILES better than any of the dry, crumbly things I've had in Oz.  None of the flavours were overpowering (match and genmaicha were mild) and if anything I found the wasabi macaron too mild.  Yuzu was definitely nice but I had no idea was yuzu was until I wrote this post.  The ume was weirdly quite salty, but now I know why - ume is a pickled, salty prune!  Duh.

You would think that would be the end of eating macarons.  Fear not, dear reader, for it I have one more patissier to discuss - Pierre Herme.  The purchase wasn't intentional.  It just so happened that Pierre Herme also has a concession in Galeries Lafayette, weirdly enough near ladies shoes and not in the gourmet department where Sadaharu Aoki was situated.  How could I say no?

They didn't have a very good journey at all.  I settled on salty caramel (above), rose, jasmine (above) and matcha with red bean filling. 

The shells were smooth and crisp and the meringue a bit more dense than SA yet still moist.  Pierre Herme were generous with the filling - I sure didn't have any complaints.  Rose was delicate, yet rosy.  Jasmine was fragrant and quite pleasant too.  Matcha with red bean filling was too sweet.  The salty caramel was FREAKING yum and easily my favourite of all the macarons I've ever had.  Big statement I know, but that's how highly I am ranking it.

Overall, I preferred texture of Pierre Herme's macarons and *gasp* rate them above Sadaharu Aoki.  The best news is that I found out they're sold in Selfridges!!!!!!

Here ends another trip to Paris.  Fret not, next I'll be stuffing my face with the hearty delights of Munich, Germany!   

Hanging Out in Paris

Today was a day for just hanging out.  We had a well deserved sleep-in but rose early enough to return to Rue Montorgueil for the open air market.  There are several markets littered around Paris, many of which have existed for centuries and still where locals shop for fresh produce.  A rotisserie selling roast chickens beckoned our stomachs but alas we had to decline because of lunch plans.  *sigh*  If only I had two stomachs.

Poultry, seafood and other meaty goods on display.  Mooey picking out some fresh fruit. 

We headed down to arr 14 for some Viet food with Frenchie relo, Asterix.

Enjoying my broken rice and Viet iced coffee.

Then to try out the poison pork rolls of Paris.  

My conclusive research indicates that the PPRs in Australia reign supreme.  I was a little surprised to see they used actual French baguettes rather than the Vietnamese-fusion version I'm accustomed to.  It just wasn't the same.

It just so happened that this trip to Paris was exactly a year to the day of my previous visit and also when Fen-Fen and I got free entry to the Arc de Triomphe.  I had no idea why it was free last year, but upon digging I discovered that it was European Heritage Day and so many state buildings are open to the public.

Smee making good use of his free visit up the Arc de Triomphe.  

We then ticked off another tourist drawcard and had a snack at Laduree, famous for it's macarons and pastries.

Moo and I being embarrassing with the menu.  The grand room in which we were seated.  

I had gone a bit overboard with the macaron consumption in Oz (somewhat disappointing) and had promised myself to not eat anymore until Paris.  Bring it on.

Waiting for my treat. 

Gnoudesavanes three scoops of ice cream.  I settled on the Mini Macarons Glaces which consisted of my choice of sorbet/ice cream and four assorted iced macarons.  I had the rose petal ice cream (So light yet full of flavour. Delish!) but I've forgotten what flavour macarons I was given.  Judging from the picture, two of them have got to be raspberry and coffee.  It doesn't matter because all I remember is that they were filled with ice cream instead of the usual ganache/buttercream and were fricking YUMMY!!!!!

My ice tea.  Moo enjoying herself. 

Sure, I'm aware they have a Laduree in London.... but, but... it's not the same as eating it on the Champs Elysees!  Stupid Pooey the Tourist.

Unlike Moo and I who had no job commitments to worry about, Smee had to return to London tonight.  Full from a day of constant snacking, Moo and I settled for a crepe 'dinner'.

Complete with posing. 

Tomorrow - our final day in Paris!