Week 6: Frühlingsfest

Last weekend, we all put on our newly-acquired trachten (dirndls and lederhosen) and headed to Theriesenweisse for Fruhlingsfest. Fruhlingsfest (“Spring Festival”),also known as the little sister of Oktoberfest, happens on the Oktoberfest grounds for three weeks in the Spring. There are two large beer halls as well as food stands, games, and rides.  

We let each of the girls get Lebkuchenhertz, giant gingerbread heart cookies with german phrases iced on them, typically sold at traditional fairs. Eden’s said “only for you”—giving off candy heart vibes, but far more delicious. 

I’d say 80-90% of people at Fruhlingsfest were wearing trachten (even non-Germans) so we were happy to be wearing ours. Jake got the full outfit, including shoes and a vest, I opted for a simpler green dirndl and the girls decided on these matching ones, all of which we bought at a trachten store near the Marienplatz. 

It was rainy and cold, but not at all crowded so we were able to easily find a spot to sit at the Festhalle Bayernland beer hall. Note Eden’s face when we made her take her jacket off for a picture! Hadley straight out refused to leave her cozy stroller nest. There was a brass band playing traditional Bavarian music and even some polka songs that we recognized. Hadley *loved* the band and eagerly clapped and attempted to sing along. There were also sporadic performances from Bavarian dancers. We got a few plates of fancier german food—duck and braised beef—and enjoyed the general merriment that coincides with drinking a liter’s worth (or more) of beer at noon. There were no options for smaller sizes! The girls enjoyed an apfelschorle (sparkling apple juice) and refused all food except pommes (fries). 

Our girls have no interest in carnival type rides, so we grabbed some gebrannte Mandeln (cinnamon sugar almonds typically sold at Oktoberfest and the Christmas markets) and headed home.  

The following weekend, Jake and I got a babysitter (hooray!) and decided to head back to Oktoberfest in hopes of a more relaxed kid-free experience. It was a gorgeous day, packed with every 20-25 year-old in Munich….and us. We waited for almost an hour in a HUGE crowd of people trying to enter the Hippodrome (the other beer tent) and eventually learned that there was a reservation system. One line was for people with reservations and the other line, which we were in, was for fillers—a guy explained that you wait for all the people with reservations to be seated and then rush to fill the remaining seats at the table. This could not have been LESS my scene. We decided to bail and ate a mediocre dinner at a nearby restaurant and then headed back to the festival grounds for dessert. 

We decided to take a ride on the Umadum ferris wheel—Germany’s largest—and enjoyed the views of Munich. Fruhlingsfest Round 2 was a bit of a disappointment overall, but we were happy to have gotten the experience of being in the beer hall the previous weekend.  

We also continued with the one-on-one time with the girls. Hads and I went to a cafe for “special drinks” and  ice cream and played at a playground—her perfect afternoon. Jake and Eden took a bike ride at the trails nearby our apartment. 

Sunday was Mother’s Day (in Germany too!) and the weather could not have been more beautiful. After a leisurely morning of reading and going to the gym, I met Jake and the girls at our local bakery for some delicious treats and cappuccinos.  

We spent the afternoon at the Seehaus Biergarten. I finally got a decent cocktail (a “tequila spritz”—did I mention how it’s all spritz all the time here?) and enjoyed an early dinner and gelato.  

Cultural Observations:  

Mandatory school: We knew that school is mandatory for kids older than 6 (not that we were ever considering homeschooling Eden), but what we did not know is that it’s actually against the law to take your child out of school for any reason other than serious illness. You are not even allowed to schedule Dr’s appointments during the school day. We planned a trip to Copenhagen for a long weekend well before we knew of this rule and had to go through an exemption process for Eden to miss the 1.5 days of school she’ll be out. Luckily, it got approved. Markus (my German colleague) told me that police often station themselves at the airport the day before a school holiday to try to “catch” families who took advantage of slightly cheaper flights. Can you imagine such a thing in the US? No mid-winter trips to Hawaii!  

Short and sweet this week. Next up: Copenhagen!