7 things to learn about Oktoberfest

by TravelTillIDrop | Apr 21, 2014 | english, travel tips

The German Oktoberfest occurs every year during September and October as the world’s biggest beer festival! How much do you know about it? Do you know the following things about Oktoberfest?

1. What’s the history of Oktoberfest?
Oktoberfest originates in 1810. At first, it was a horse race and was part of the celebration of Bavarian King Ludwig I. and his wife Theresie. As the horse race was very popular, it was held as an annual event afterward, and eventually becomes the Oktoberfest nowadays.

2. What’s so special about the beer?
The beer we drink in Oktoberfest is all brewed in Munich. Since the 16th century, Bavaria in Germany already has set strict rules for brewing the best beer. In order to brew the purest beer, in 1516, Duke William IV ordered only water, barley and hop can be used for brewing!

3. What brands of beer are you expecting to see in Oktoberfest?
All the beer in Oktoberfest are brewed in Munich in Bavaria, include the following brands: Augustiner, Paulaner, Spaten-Franziskaner, Löwenbräu, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu

4. How big and how much is a glass of beer? How many calories does a glass of beer contain?
During Oktoberfest, a glass of beer is usually 1L. It costs around 10euro and it has around 500kcal for each glass of beer! Maybe sharing a glass of beer with a friend is not a bad idea, thinking about how much fat you are gaining!

5. What are some typical German food to eat in Oktoberfest?
There are a few foods you should try when you go to Oktoberfest! The common ones are pork knuckle, bratwurst, pretzels…! But maybe it never draws your attention that Germans also like to eat roast chicken in Oktoberfest, season the chicken, and roast the skin until it’s super crispy! Ohlalalaaaaaa. Nom!

6. What am I expecting to have fun at Oktoberfest?
Oktoberfest is like a big carnival, there are rides, stalls for food, and a beer tent! There’s no entrance fee for Oktoberfest, and you only have to pay if you are playing the rides, eating, or drinking! So if you don’t want to spend any money in Oktoberfest, you can simply walk around and feel what it’s like!

7. What should I prepare to go to Oktoberfest?
As Oktoberfest is the biggest beer festival in the world, there are people from all around the world to go to Oktoberfest every year! During that period, hotels and transportation like flights and trains tickets soared! So plan ahead, if not, maybe it’s good to have a good friend who lives in Munich! Also, remember to book a table in the tent earlier. If you don’t have a seat, they won’t serve you a beer! If you would like to get in the atmosphere, you can also wear the traditional Bavarian costume! Don’t feel shy! There will be many people wearing Dirndl and Lederhosen there, and I’m sure you will enjoy yourself even more!

To get to know more: http://www.oktoberfest.de/

5 types of people you don’t want to share a Hostel room with

by TravelTillIDrop | Apr 6, 2014 | english, travel tips

Recently I just got back from a trip, as usual, I would like to save some money and decided to stay in a Hostel for a few nights. Since some of them are really cheap, say 5-6euro per night, we decided to go for a hostel! When things are so cheap, I don’t expect too much from them. But if I have to share a hostel room with these kinds of people, sometimes I really think it’s a disaster!

1. Person with alarm clock keeps ringing
Once I lived in a hostel, someone in the room had her alarm clock starts ringing at 6.30am! I understand sometimes people may have to wake up early to catch their schedule, it’s okay if someone is waking up early! But the annoying thing is, this girl actually wakes up at 8.30am in the end. So she just keeps her alarm clock ringing at 6.30am,7am, 7.30am, 8am, 8.15am, 8.25am…etc.

2. Person who chats/speaks loudly at the midnight
I once fell asleep at around 11pm. Then I thought I could sleep till the next morning. But at around 12am, my dorm-mates came back. They started chatting, tidying up their things, walking around the room to get stuff…They were too noisy that they actually woke me up. What is worse was there was a group of 12 Spanish living in the room right next. As the hostel is quite old, you can hear people speaking next room quite clearly. In the end, there was no way but I had to go to the reception and tell them the situation and got it solved.

3. Person who is drunk
When it’s the middle of the night, and your dorm-mate came back drunk and talking to someone else, that’s actually quite horrible. I personally think drunk people are one of the hardest people to deal with. Because even when you talk to them, they can’t really control themselves and the next morning, they won’t even remember what happened last night. I feel that’s not much I can do under this circumstance.

4. People who do 18+ things in the room (not smoking or drinking)
When you live in a mixed form, with people of all ages and both male and female in the room, sometimes I don’t really understand how people can do something like that, and making noise that makes people feel uncomfortable. Perhaps they think it’s exciting to do such things, but seriously, it’s just so awkward to hear something like that.

5. Person who said he’s interested in you
After chatting for a while, the person told you you are so cute, so pretty, and he’s interested in you, and you are living in the same dorm with him! Ohlalalaaaaa Once I traveled with my friend and she’s the victim, just to play safe, my friend and I slept in the same bed together that night even though we paid for our own bed!

Have you met someone in the hostel that you would not like to stay in the same room with? Share your experience below!