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Notes on travel from Boeblingen to Munich on September 17th and 18th for the opening of the Oktoberfest. The point-to-point distance is 123 miles. I took the 9:22am regional train from Boeblingen to Stuttgart and then the ICE train from Stuttgart to Munich. I returned via the 3:26am train early the next morning. The one-way travel time was ~3 hours. I returned to the hotel the next morning just at dawn.
In loosely cronological order:
The German and the Americans I talked to at Boeblingen.
Heide the beautiful young college coed who helped me catch the train in Stuttgart.
Couple on Train who talked to me and gave me schnapps. Him giving me a hearty handshake and a clenched fist like salute. Kind of a show of strength. Made me happy. Drinking his schnapps later. Even sharing it with the French man who looked like my cousin Baxter. When I got back to the hotel, the Boehlers told me this schnapps is called "Little Coward" - "Kliener Fiegling", which is kind of ironic.
The Munich Taxi driver who took me to BMW museum. Gave me pointers on how to navigate subways and where to go after festival.
The Bulgarians who I helped to find the subway even though I had just arrived.
Inumerous people who helped me navigate subway system - sbahn, tube, above ground, etc. Older lady who helped me circumvent the human traffic jam as people clogged the subway. Older man who helped me get ticket stand out in particular.
Taking pictures of the various cops in their leather jackets. Thinking they looked like somebody not to fsck with. Later I found out this was true as they would arrest drunks in mass.
Inside the bmw museum. Seeing the r80gs. Seeing the older Chinese men with their young escorts.
Various people who asked me questions in German for directions or cigarettes. LOL.
Eating the tofu and other non-meat products at the rathouse(marine platz) in the rain for free. The man on stilts, dressed in robes, and painted gold including face, who just stood there and scowled.
Eating in the roftbrauhaus. The kindness of the Austrians and the French who shared their food with me. Their is no nobler act of kindness.
The crowds at the festival.
Seeing the first set of scots in their kilts.
The rides and the motorcycle daredevils. The daredevils reminded me of as a kid when my dad took me to the Dixie Classic fairgrounds where we saw similar type of thing where the motorcycles rode around the inside of a large barrel.
The women wearing the cute bavarian costumes. The chinese woman wearing the costume who posed so well for the camera.
The homosexual men walking arm in arm who looked like models.
Having to pay my "tip" in advance to use the bathroom because the older fat lady was weilding a toliet cleaning brush. Thinking, "please God don't shake that brush at me so as to "anoint" me with the toilet water." Her scolding me because I chose the "kaput" toilet to use the bathroom. Hearing her argue with the young punks and eventually running them out. Taking the picture of her afterwards where she was shaking down the next set of customers.
After eating a bunch of saurkraut, eggs and sausage, vegetarian animal free foods, followed by a heathy dose of cheap beer; then having a terrible roil (gut bomb) in my bowels. Finding satisfaction in one of the restrooms outside the beer tent. The toilets were in a shared area for both men and women. The American man was chatting it up with the girls in an effort to pick them up while they waited for a place to squat. My immense smell cleared out the "chat room". Quitely chuckling at being so foul and pungent. Hearing them say, "Eeech it stinks in here." Finding it empty when I stepped out. How anti-social.
The pub restroom which had the sticker which instructed men should not stand up to pee and instead should sit down like a woman to pee. Actually had an outline of men's gentials including a dashed line for the path of urination.
The WC in the train depot where the attendant freaked out because I walked in without paying then demanding money. Even though the restroom was empty him freaking out when I tried to take a picture of the sign which pointed to "the Pisser". Later finding a similar sign outside which said the same thing. Back at the Hotel Boehler, Frau Boehler explained to me that it is really pronounced with a French accent and has and ending sound similar to "Francois."
I have never in my life seen as many drunks in my life. I have been to football games, concerts, motorcycle campouts, etc. But nothing had prepared me for seeing so much drunks.
Thinking to myself that I should not get so drunk that I become beligerrant. I might cross paths with someone in a likewise condition and get in trouble. "Discretion is the better part of valor" often quoted by Bill. Besides I was by myself and I needed to keep my wits about me.
Seeing the drunks sitting slumped at tables, walking around with puke on their shirts, and slumped on the park bench beside me where I was changing my socks. I felt so bad for that particular guy I wanted to help them, but there was nothing I could do for him.
Waiting in line at the brew house for the third time determined to get inside the tent. The one drunk who i had to keep pushing off because he was wanting to cut line. Even after i had won the challenge, I kept thinking it was not worth the bullshit and leaving.
The drunken arab who grabbed the arms of the girl who was walking the other way and not letting her go. I saw a lot of guys call out, shout at random girls but this incident was particularl. I remember seeing her twisting her arms about in an effort to get loose. At first I walked past, not wanting to get involved, but I eventually turned around and yelled at him. After that little bit of mischief I figured that should be my last confrontation. I decided it was definetly time to leave the scene, drink some water, and start collecting my wits. The poor guy who stood outside the tent while we watched the two drunks get arrested. The mp's and police as they pushed me aside to tackle him. Deciding too late to take some pictures. The big detective looking guy putting his hands in front of my camera.
Getting nabbed by the security gaurd as I was taking my beer mug out of the beer garden. Earlier I had asked the waiter if I could have it and he said yes. But when I tried to walk out when it started raining the gaurd stopped me. Standing under the edge of the awning with the gaurd as we both avoided the rain. Me drinking the rest of the beer and him talking on his cell phone and shaking down other drunks. Noticing he had a bias as to who he stopped because he didn't stop everybody. Talking to the waiter while under the awning. Telling him the gaurd would not let me take out the mug. The waiter suggesting i go out the other exit and it is not a problem. Thinking it was not worth getting in trouble over a $5 beer mug and leaving it there.
Waiting under the awning with the German lady selling stuffed animals. Seeing the two young men and woman dancing to the sounds of the "disco" ride. Thinking the guy danced good. Kind of like the commericial you see on TV of the guy dancing with the two woman in front of the bar. I think it is a German alcohol commercial.
The Australian woman I talked with outside one of the beer gardens while we watched a different drunk getting put in chains. Her needing to find a bathroom. Escorting her to the bathroom. Her telling me about her friend getting her purse stolen in the beer tent. Walking back the same way afterwards and seeing the young drunk being cheerful and talking with the police. His handcuffs removed but the germans writing furiously in their notepads. Thinking I hope he gets out of it without too much trouble.
Seeing the drunks being handcuffed and placed in cots with little tents over them so that they could not be seen. The red cross paramedics who took them away.
The kindness of the Germans and the Irishman at the German pub. Markedly different from the first pub where I escaped the rain. Maybe because at the first establishment I was only drinking water and probably looked like one of the drunks I took humour from when I was more sober.
Returning to the train station and waiting out the time until the 3:26 train departed to Stuttgart. Meeting the cute Korean coeds and talking with them into the wee hours of the morning - particulary Kim the architect. When she wanted to understand a word, sometimes she would make a mark in her hand to write out the letters with her fingers. Thinking how small and delicate her fingers looked.
Being so tired when I arrived back in Boeblingen. Seeing the sky already turn blue and it being cold and drizzling.
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