Once known as the city of monks, München has become the center of the beer world. When womanizer King Ludwig I married Therese of Saxony in October of 1810, he gave her a field as a present. “A field! Certainly a king can do better than that!” Therese exclaimed.
And so, King Ludwig named said field after Therese and proceeded to throw her a party that was so successful, it’s been held in the same place ever since! Queen Therese’s party is now known as Oktoberfest, spanning from the last weekend in September to the first Sunday of October. During these weeks, the population of Munich jumps from 1.3 million to seven million people – who will then eat 480,000 spit-roasted chickens and drink 1.5 million gallons of beer!
The breweries are open year-round, selling Bavarian beer that is quite possibly the world’s finest! In times of yore, breweries such as Hofbräukeller were only open to men. Men would lounge and drink all day at the tables; when nature called, a man would tap his companions’ knees with his specially made cane, open the buttons on his lederhosen, free his hosen, and use the notch in his cane to lead the stream away from his companions. At the end of the evening, bar maids would pour buckets of water on the stone floor, flushing away any debris.
Today, women are welcomed at the numerous beer gardens and breweries. However, if a woman has had too much to drink, she must alert the male restroom attendant who will then allow her to enter the men’s room and use the vomitorium, using his body as a shield to protect her from view. Not using the vomitorium to vomit will incur a large fine.
Each brewery has quite a few brews from which to choose, along with delicious local specialties such as suckling pig with Bavarian cabbage and potato dumplings. Meals are enjoyed together; everyone gathers at the long wooden tables to drink one liter beers, munch on pretzels, and dine on specialties, enjoying the tunes of the traditional Bavarian orchestra playing nearby.
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