Prost!

This weekend my friends and I took a bus to Munich to celebrate Oktoberfest (in September), and we had a blast. We stayed at a campsite called Stoke Travel where there were hundreds of tiny tents that were made for one person but two slept in each. It was full of study abroad students and young people traveling from all over. The nights were cold, but how many times in my life will I get to go camping in Munich. Day one we did a bike tour of Munich and took in many historical sites and enjoyed a stop at the beer gardens to get our first taste of German beer. After a great night sleep in our tents, we ventured to Oktoberfest in our dirndls and lederhosen. We made it there before the gates opened, and when they did open, everyone took off running for the tents. It was one of the most hectic, fun experiences of my life. We got to see 3 tents throughout the day and sampled a liter of beer at each (naturally). The day was full of beer, pretzels, prosts, and weiners. It was such a fun day, and I hope to be back there someday. On our way back to Florence we had to the option to see Dachau Concentration Camp, and I wasn't going to pass that up. Although it was a somber note to the end of the weekend, I can't describe the humbling feeling of standing where all this history had taken place. Textbooks will never have the impact of seeing it in person and standing where it happened. All in all it was a great trip to Germany, and I am very excited to go back this weekend to see my dad in Frankfurt!