This weekend at the legendary Oktoberfest in Munich can only be described as insane. My first observation upon arrival at the bus station was that literally every other person was decked out in traditional Tracht. Seriously – Lederhosen and Dirndls were everywhere you looked.

On Saturday, we woke up bright and early (5 a.m.), and around 6 a.m. headed over to attempt to get a spot in one of the tents. If you want one of these sought-after tables, you’re only chance is to wake up that early, or earlier (especially on the weekends) – otherwise, it is best to forget it. Even though this search was a struggle, we met some pretty awesome Germans along the way!

Eventually, we decided to explore the carnival outside. My one impression: people everywhere. Mostly drunken people, but still – the crowds were a bit claustrophobia-inducing. Gladly, not all the people at Oktoberfest were Americans. There were plenty, to be sure, but there were also tons of Germans. I was kind of relieved – I thought it was going to be mostly tourists (ugh).

Most of Sunday, we wandered around the beautiful city center. Less tourists, less kitsch – more my kind of thing. After watching the famous Glockenspiel bell performance at Marienplatz, we stumbled into Englischer Garten. This was very different than parks I am used to because it felt very museum-like: meant more for an occasional stroll than for everyday use.

Since it was Sunday, mostly everything was closed. It also meant that we may or may not have accidentally entered a church while mass was happening…whoops. Probably the best thing was randomly finding Asam Church, which is wedged tightly between two other buildings. The only word that comes to mind as an appropriate descriptor for this church is German: Schmuck. This word loosely means abundance and excess. There were so many decorations that you did not know what to look at first. It was beautiful beyond belief, but just…so much to take in.

After we decided that if we stayed any longer our eyes would probably begin to bleed, we headed back to the crazy carnival of Oktoberfest, where some friends had managed to grab a table. The more the night progressed, the more people stood on tables and chairs, singing along to the live band’s version of both English and German songs. A Maß of beer and several hundred “Ein Prosit” sing-along’s later, everyone was having a great time.

Oktoberfest is not for the faint of heart, but it was definitely worth the trip. And wandering aimlessly around Munich is also an incredibly enjoyable way to spend a lazy Sunday.