Every year in Munich, they celebrate a festival called Kocherlball (Cook's Ball). It starts at 6 am on the third Sunday of July and everyone comes dressed in the traditional Bavarian outfits of lederhosen or dirndl, drinks masse (one liter tankards of beer), dances and is drunk as the sun rises. It started back in the day when the only chance housekeepers had to party was when the family was away at church on Sunday mornings. Seeing as this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, Myles and I decided to go. We figured it would be easiest if we just pulled an all-nighter instead of trying to wake up for it, so when we got back to his dorm we watched movies, cooked some more bratwurst and drank tea to keep us kicking until the party began. Around 5 am we headed over to the English Gardens and followed the crowds of lederhosen-clad Germans. On the other side of the trees was a sight we weren't prepared for, thousands upon thousands of people filling a gigantic clearing, sitting at hundreds of tables laden down with the gigantic beer mugs or standing in front of the stage waiting for the music to start. We squeezed our way in just before the band began to play (traditional Bavarian music of course) and soon the huge crowd started dancing. We ran into two of Myles' friends and we all went and grabbed some drinks. Now a liter of beer in a giant glass tankard is quite heavy to hold with one hand as it is, let alone at 6 am without any sleep, so I was struggling to keep from spilling it as we made our way through the crowds. Luckily Myles' friend Sophie knew someone with a table so we relaxed with them until we were overcome with the urge to dance. Several songs later, we were completely exhausted and decided to finally get some sleep. We took the long way back through the park, stopping for a bit to watch the surfers riding the wave on the river. When we got back to Myles', it was around 10 am and we ended up taking an 11 hour nap. By the time we woke up, the day was almost over so we just ate some food and watched a movie before heading to bed again. What an experience! Sure to be something I'll remember for the rest of my life. Plus, I kept the mug.