Oktoberfest Fun

Oktoberfest was definitely a memorable experience. I sort of envisioned it as just a month where everyone drank beer all the time. But, it was much more than what I expected. First of all, I didn't know that Oktoberfest occurred outside of Munich. The Oktoberfest that we went to was in Konstanz. When we went, there were carnival rides and everything. There were three large tents where beer and food were served, and other little huts and stands that sold crepes or ice cream, etc.

I also was told about the costumes before going, which helped a little with surprise and confusion upon seeing Oktoberfest for the first time. All the women dress in dirndls, which look a little like Little Bo Peep costumes, and I don't know how to describe the men's costume other than a blue plaid shirt and brown lederhosen. Almost every single person at Oktoberfest is dressed like that, even kids. You should look up pictures of dirndls and "men's Oktoberfest outfit traditional," (be sure to include traditional, or you will get weird halloween costume things). During September, almost every clothing store has them too!

While we were there, I went on many rides (many meaning really only two), and had a great time. I went on a ferris wheel-type thing, and almost cried (I'm afraid of heights, but it seemed like a good idea at the time...). The absolute scariest thing about the ride wasn't actually the heights, but it was the fact that the safety bar came up! We were in the air, with Gianna's head on my shoulder, one of my hands gripping my seat and one on the bar, we were circling the center and I was terrified. We were coming up over the highest part, and the bar popped up, and came back down again! I screamed really loud and Gianna made a softer noise. I guess I was a little bit afraid of falling, but I think I was more afraid the ride breaking and everyone dying. It was a scary experience.

I came to realize that most of the rides were actually designed to make you dizzy and to have you throw up all over the place. I thought about this for a while. Who cleans up all the people's puke? How many people puke on the rides daily? These gross questions crossed my mind, and I decided to stop thinking about it all together. I also went into a funhouse-obstacle course-thingie. I felt really dumb walking through a maze of glass walls and mirrors and constantly running into walls. We (everyone except my dad) stumbled through floor obstacles, a maze of glass and mirrors, and some punching bags. My time at Oktoberfest was truly memorable.

Berlin Bears

I saw so many bears in Berlin, it was starting to get weird. There were so many statues of bears, that I noticed them wherever we went. I was constantly on the lookout for bears. I started calling Berlin, Bearlin. I got really weird in Bearlin (Ha, see what I did there, wink wink). During the two days we spent in Bearlin (again), I noticed at least 10 total bears. There were statues, and signs, advertisements and more. The best part was, all the bears were festively colored! We walked past a hotel with two white bears out front, and the bears were covered in festive paint splatters! They were very interesting to look at.

We walked past a couple souvenir shops and as we walked by, guess what kind of key chains I saw? YOU WIN! DING DING DING YOU GOT IT RIGHT! Bears covered the shelves of the souvenir store (If you didn't guess bears, I don't know where you have been this entire blog post). But other than souvenir stores and statues and advertisements, the flag of Berlin even has a bear on it! I was amazed, but all the mystery came to an end. The reason they like bears so much is because teh flag has one on it.

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On the other hand, I want to discuss something else unique to Berlin, and that is the pedestrian stop lights. Now, you must be thinking, what the heck, they must be just like any other pedestrian crossing lights, but no. They are extremely different, and very cute. The go light man looks like a man with a top hat that is walking swiftly with his briefcase. In the stop light, he has his arms spread wide and he is standing still. They are the cutest things.

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Visby and Gotland

We spent a wonderful week in Visby, Sweden, a medieval town on the island of Gotland. So far, I have learned many things about how the physical geography of Gotland, and how it affects the people who live, work, and visit Visby.

This is mainly a tourist city, I have learned, with its old medieval buildings and church ruins. You can find many museums and souvenir shops around the town. I have been to the Viking Museum in Visby and have seen many little i's, or Tourist Information spots around the town. This is very much a tourist city, but Gotland as a whole is very touristy anyway.

Gotland beaches are amazing, and lure lots of tourists from all over Sweden and many other countries. I went to one of the beaches on the northern tip of Gotland, and it is very beautiful. A magazine that I read said, "you can travel around the world in one island... You never have to leave Sweden." Gotland's landscapes are truly beautiful and breathtaking as well. People don't just come for the beaches, they come for the views as well. The wind and weather, in combination with the limestone terrain create a wonderful coastline worth seeing.

The magazine also said that the island has a huge biking reputation, which was clear as soon as we arrived in Visby. Bicycle racks were everywhere, and were always jam-packed with bikes and helmets. Rental bike shops and racks were all over the place too!

Overall, I had an amazing time in Gotland, and the sucky WiFi gave us a break from our phones for a bit. We walked along the Visby city walls and looked out on the Baltic Sea, and we hung out in our wonderful apartment.