Yesturday, I went to Munich for the first time. The town square is amazing, and everything is simply breathtaking. Blah,blah,blah

The real subject of this post is Munich's most famous festival: Oktoberfest.

Oktoberfest is beyond description, but I will make a feeble attempt now.

You enter the festival, and you don't need to pay an entrance fee, which I liked very much. The smell of Oktoberfest is an incredible mix of cigarettes, sausages, beer, beer, beer, and pretzels. The first thing that caught my eye was the dozens of high quality carnival rides. The rides at the Oktoberfest are portible, but they are bigger, faster, and crazier than almost anything we have in America. This includes the amusement park rides too. The violence of these rides still amazes me. I was pretty sure that the patrons of the Oktoberfest version of the swings were going to sue the management for whiplash.

Also, there were tons of haunted houses and mirror halls. I think the propietors of these places enjoy watching the the throng of drunkards line up to stumble and fall through their fun house for 3 dollars a person.

Aside from the carnival rides, Oktoberfest is about beer. Lots and Lots of beer. Each brewery has a "tent" where they serve pretzels and their own brew. To call these things a tent is an insult to what it really is. They are much more like beer hangers.

I was alone yesturday, and I looked into one of these hangers to see a billowing, thick atmosphere of smoke and I heard loud, loud drunken singing. Inside the tent, it is packed wall to wall with people, all of which are standing on their benches and shouting along to the German Beer Hall music that is being played. I didn't know any of the words to the songs, but I think it mattered very little, because those around me did not seem to know the words either. It was more like timed shouting than singing.

Everyone was having the time of their lives.

Oktoberfest is one of the few places I have ever been that was able to keep a smile on my face from the time I arrived till the time I left.

Tommorrow I am meeting a friend from home (Jess) in the main town square. Perhaps we will go to the Oktoberfest. Hope so.

Hey everbody, I just arrived in Germany today, and the jet lag is a little rough, but I am pretty sure that I will overcome it. You would be surprised how much German you can learn if you don't know anything past Gutentag, which of course I cannot spell correctly. I could tell you exactly how far I am from home in feet, but unfortunately, my GPS is having a difficult time getting a signal.

The flight was wonderful, and very safe, and if you were to ask me if it is alright to fly, I would respond with a resounding YES.

I was the unquestionably the youngest person on the plane, and I had an entire row of seats to myself. The plane was mostly empty, and the in flight meals came with plastic knives instead of metal ones. A word of caution to anyone travelling soon, if you want to keep your carry-on luggage with you, make sure it is free of any sharp objects. This includes disposable razors. I had to check my bag, but it was not really a problem.

Once I arrived at Munich airport, I took the S-Train into Munich, and then a change over to a different rail line, which I rode until the end of the line. At the train station, I then waited an hour for the bus to take me to Eurasburg. The German school children on the train were speaking in hushed tones and pointing at me when I got on, because I did not know how to properly board a German train. Note: I also looked pretty confused, in the children's defense.

In Eurasburg, I am staying with a lovely family that is friends with my friends the Keatings. I was overwhelmed by the size of their house, and the incredible thickness of their walls, it could not be further from what I was expecting. They have two little girls ages 9 and 6, and we had lentil soup for lunch, which they were all surprised I ate.

I spent the afternoon sleeping and reading, and I plan on going into Munich tommorrow, after I have a better idea of what I want to do. The the family has several more guests coming on the weekend, and two of them are my age, so I am excited to meet them. So far, I have met people only in passing, but they were all very friendly and seemed excited for me since I am new to the continent.

That about wraps it up for DAY 1 EUROPEAN ADVENTURE. Lastly, the graphitti here is of an incredible quality, and they should really be glad to have it. I know this might sound sarcastic, but you really need to see it to understand, it really is beautiful.