Today the weather is gray and foggy; threatening rain. It’s time for me to dig out my sweaters and thick wool socks. It’s hard to believe October is already gone! The fall here is glorious but it doesn’t last very long. I’ve been trying to capture the season as I take my walks around the city.
This year I was lucky to be invited to my first ever Oktoberfest celebration! In these parts, Oktoberfest parties actually start in mid to late September. We attended one the second week of October and it was the last one of the year. It was located in a smallish village about 45 minutes down the lake from us in Zurich. Now get that “quaint village” image out of your head. The party took place in a giant outdoor tent located next to a very modern business hotel. Yes, the band were wearing lederhosen but played electric guitars instead of tubas and no alp horns were to be seen. Even so, centuries of tradition were clearly being honored at this party!
To get into the spirit I bought myself a drindle, a traditional farm-woman’s dress. I was so surprised to learn that EVERYBODY wears traditional clothes at Oktoberfest and that all my friends already owed drindles! Never one to let a chance to play dress up pass me by I made sure I was ready. My turn for a little cultural appropriation!
A drindle is a really fun thing to wear and is super practical! It’s extremely comfortable, offers good coverage with just a little bit of sass up top and it has roomy pockets! It is built to suit a day’s hard work on a farm or a night of dancing and drinking beer with friends. I chose the latter occasion to put mine to the test. I really wish there were more occasions for me to wear my drindle. I know that if I ever go on that Sound of Music tour in Austria I’m bringing it so I can twirl the hills in style.
The evening started off with a round of giant beers and some tasty food, all included in our ticket price. I know it looks like an impossible amount of beer but its volume is matched with a very low alcohol content. This is a good thing, a very good thing! I soon learned the true joy of Oktoberfest; Ein Prosit! Every ten minutes the band strikes up with the song Ein Prosit. It’s a first class drinking song complete with a call and response section, curse words and ending with everyone taking a drink!
Awe, look how fresh-faced and wholesome we look! Remember when I said the beer was weak? It is! It really is! But eventually it does the things that beer is known to do and as the evening progressed we ended up making a lot of new friends. And dancing on the benches. And taking many bathroom breaks where we’d make even more new friends!
The beer hall was filled with surprising diversity! Young and old alike, all dressed in traditional clothing. Most of the crowd was Swiss but like our own group (Kiwi, Aussie, Finnish and American), lots were from all over the world! We met Folks from Germany, Brazil, Serbia and India. One guy heard us speaking English and got excited and so ran over to talk to us. He had a German accent but he was wearing ridiculous red alligator cowboy boots. He asked us to guess where he was from. I guessed Texas based on said boots and he said yes with a tear of joy in his eye! His mom is Swiss but his dad is from Texas and he spent time there as a child. He was ecstatic that I had guessed correctly, bless his heart. Those boots were so over the top “look at me I’m from Texas” but I think you need to be American to identify that very specific cultural indicator. At any rate, he was super stoked and a grand time was had by all. What a great celebration!
October wasn’t all about beer drinking (a fact Tyler can attest to). We also made time to enjoy the glorious fall weather.This past Sunday we took a few trains, a bus and a very sketchy looking cable car in order to take a hike along the Wildmannlisloch trail, located in the northeast near St. Gallen. We were rewarded with stunning views resplendent with fall colors bathed in hazy slanted light and shadow. Simply stunning!
The next day, Halloween was overcast, gray and cold. And if this year is anything like last, it will stay this way for quite a while. Oh well, at least now it’s officially fondue season!
As usual, the photos here don’t look so great. Have a look at this album for better quality!