Desiree Koh:
This is why Berlin Marathon was run... to be in Munich for Oktoberfest. First stop was Weisses Brauhaus, which was a really, really good start to beer fest.
Desiree Koh:
Homemade potato pancakes with applesauce.
Desiree Koh:
In the foreground, my Schneiderweisse Tap 7 Unser Original: "full of complexity of the genuine Bavarian wheat beer."
Desiree Koh:
Veal sausages with sauerkraut - otherwise known as the Munich weisswurst.
Desiree Koh:
Apple fritters fried in beer dough with cinnamon sugar and vanilla ice cream. That was great vanilla ice cream!
Desiree Koh:
The Neues Rathaus, Munich's town hall that is a really amazing meeting of gargoyles and statues.
Desiree Koh:
My folks.
Desiree Koh:
The Mariansaule, a column erected in 1638 to celebrate the retreat of the Swedish forces at the end of the Thirty Years War. High school history pays off!
Desiree Koh:
Cool dragon scaling one of the Neues Rathaus's turrets.
Desiree Koh:
Each time we went back to the Neues Rathaus as dusk fell, it took on a different light.
Desiree Koh:
At Hopbrauhaus, one of the 125 Places To Have A Beer Before You Die, meeting liter steins for the first time, filled with the house dunkel.
Desiree Koh:
Great company, great beer, high spirits.
Desiree Koh:
There are worse ways to spend a Monday evening in Munich!
Desiree Koh:
One roast pork knuckle from one very big hog. And dumpling - I don't think we ever quite got comfortable with any of the dumplings we ate in Germany.
Desiree Koh:
Oompah band - I need one of these at my wedding.
Desiree Koh:
At Munich's Viktualienmarkt, apparently one of Europe's great food markets, but I wasn't sure it's up there like some that I've seen in Paris or Bologna.
Desiree Koh:
The maypole - of course!
Desiree Koh:
What a beautiful and inspiring sight!
Desiree Koh:
I'll have to say - it was hard swallowing this beer, which is pretty much swill. Unfortunately, it's a challenge being a beer snob at Oktoberfest.
Desiree Koh:
I really enjoyed the oompah band, however! Have you ever heard Abba played oompah-style? I have!
Desiree Koh:
Like a prime rib, but from a bull. Thank goodness we're back to good potatoes again!
Desiree Koh:
Team Berlin 26Pint2 Marathon!
Desiree Koh:
Roast pullets, an Oktoberfest staple. Or, just a Bavarian drinking staple.
Desiree Koh:
How many tons of potatoes do you think is served in one tent each day at Oktoberfest? I know the answer - send me your guesses!
Desiree Koh:
Gingerbread for your sweetheart.
Desiree Koh:
As Oktoberfest grows in renown and global pull, so do its culinary offerings. Barbequed salted herring - because it's great with beer, also!
