Arrive after 11hrs on train we arrived in Munich quite tired and keen to catch up on the sleep we had struggled with on the journey. The only thing still in the way was the U train (subway) and a short 20min walk but by 8:30am we were there, just in time to still get a hot breakfast.
At the Talchirken camp grounds all major tour companies run sites, Contiki, Top Deck, Busabout, PP and Festival Adventures each with their own distinctive 2 person tents. We camped in the Top Deck area as I'd toured with them twice before in 2007 and they run a good site, they also run the most tents at the grounds.
Once we had woken and had a very welcome shower we headed into Munich town centre (only a 10 min drive from camp grounds) for a look around, Top Deck shuttles run 8-12 then 5-11 so we headed in by train today having slept through the 12 o'clock shuttle.
A must-do in Munich is the Hofbrau House so we headed there for lunch; Pretzel entree (as big as your head) followed by Pork Knuckle and potato dumplings all washed down with a Stein of fine German beer. The atmosphere is electric in the Hofbrau House with the music playing, packed full of people singing, cheering and laughing. A great way to kick off your Munich adventures.
**Oktoberfest started way back on October 12th 1810 when Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hilburghausen and they celebrated the wedding with a horse race in a field outside the city. The citizens were invited to attend and this was beginning of it all. The first beer tents didn't arrive till 1896 (86yrs later) and on the first Saturday of the festival they still parade into the festival grounds where the Mayor taps the first keg.**
It was now around 4pm so we headed into the festival grounds which are just a short walk from the town centre. Now Oktoberfest is much more than just a bunch of people drinking beer, it's a true city celebration and the festival site has really two aspects to it.; The beer halls and the Fair grounds. The beers halls are massive and each big brewer has their own tent (aircraft hanger size..) but tables fill quickly so you spot a seat and join whomever is already on it; a great way to meet people as everyone in there is a friend you just haven't met yet. Then there's the fair ground which is full of families enjoying the rides and the great food stalls, it really is a great place to take kids as is done by thousands of locals.
As we didn't get the shuttle to the grounds we didn't actually know where to get it back from so after wandering for an hour we opted for a taxi which was only $12 euro back to camp.