Frülingfest in Munich
When you study abroad in the fall, rumor has it that you HAVE to go to Oktoberfest in Munich. I have a new rumor for those studying abroad in the spring: you HAVE to go to Springfest. It’s essentially Oktoberfest but less touristy and it’s in the spring. The setup isn’t as big, for example, they only have 2 tent halls instead of 12 during Oktoberfest, but word on the street is it’s just as much fun and less smothered by tourists.
Well, living in St. Gallen, a few friends and I couldn’t think of a better place to visit than Munich during Springfest for a weekend! It’s about a 2-hour direct train ride to get there with trains 
running all day. Once you get there, it’s like a country fair on steroids and German. They have countless rides and food stands around a central park in the city, which is completely transformed for the event. I was impressed by how elaborate the rides were for something that had been put together weeks before. I normally don’t trust make-shift fair rides, but these were very elaborate and had hundreds of people lined up to ride them so I assumed it’d be safe. Some of the rides use tokens, and others use cash, ranging from 2 euros to 5 euros per ride. My favorite ride was the one that swung a twisting pendulum back and forth filled with about 40 riders. It got up so high my stomach dropped at every swing. I had never been on a ride so comparable to amusement parts.
They also had some classic fair rides like a Ferris wheel and some very spooky-looking haunted houses, as well as games where you could win prizes and other activities for kids. As would be expected of Germany, they also had more bratwursts for sale than you could imagine. German food is pretty heavy, including lots of meats, bread, and cheeses, which made it hearty and delicious. While there I had a bratwurst for every meal I’m pretty sure, including an infamous ½ meter-long bratwurst. It was delicious and they had all kinds of toppings to put on it for about 7 euros. A great deal.
They also have these massive food halls with what seemed like gallon-sized beer pitchers people would get for 11 euros. People filled the tables and would stand on top of them and sing chants and dance to concerts that were put on every day for the whole 3 weeks of Springfest. Everyone we met there was from Munich, so there really weren’t many tourists. You could tell who the tourists were by how tacky their dirndl or lederhosen looked - the brighter and less detailed gave away foreigners. Some of the girls from Germany had beautiful dirndl outfits that were super detailed and had the cutest designs. All in all, it was a great festival with lots of fun activities to engage in while making new German friends!
Bis zum nächsten mal!
Kara