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The reason we drink beer in September and call it October (Oktober)

September 3, 2018 by Notourguideneeded Leave a Comment

Beer at Oktoberfest munich, Germany

It is all very confusing for people who do not understand the story of Oktoberfest.  We have an October festival in September.  Are we confused? Drunk? Little of both?  Maybe, but that isn’t the point.  The festival is more than just a bunch of people sitting around drinking.  There is history that you should know so you can impress people sitting at the beer table with you.

First let’s clarify something – Germany calls it Oktober.  If you speak English it is October.  Same word, different spelling.

On another note, Germany does not call itself that either.  It’s Deutschland, but I digress.

The Wedding

So take yourself back in time to October the 12th 1810.  Then Prince Ludwig was being married to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen (or Therese of Bavaria to be easier to remember).

Their wedding was the very first Oktoberfest.

The reception was in the fields of Bavaria renamed Theresienwiese (“Therese’s Fields”) to honor the Crown Princess.  Everyone was invited to celebrate the occasion – “Wiesn”.  It is still held in these original fields (although more of a fairground than a field now) and as tradition remains, free and open to all people.

The Confusion of Dates

There isn’t really any confusion once you understand.  Germany can get really cold come mid-October. So rather than starting Oktoberfest on Oct 12, it gradually started moving back to September.  The tradition now is that it is two full weeks (16 days total) where the last weekend is the first weekend of October or October 3 (whichever is later).

The Beer

Back in the day, beers were stored in March and not processed during the hot summers.  So, the beers that are opened during Oktoberfest are referenced as March Beer – or Marzen or Marzenbier.   This beer is traditionally stronger than an average beer (6%) and is richer and fuller.

You can get Oktoberfest shipped out to other parts of the world, but only Oktoberfest beer (Marzen) is sold at the fairgrounds.  Well that and some wines, but I digress again.

So, now that you have some basic history, you can enjoy your LITER of beer and know that you are carrying on a tradition from 1810.

Prost!

The open gates in 2012
The open gates in 2012
Beer at Oktoberfest
The waitress carried all of these in one trip!! WOW.

Filed Under: Adventures, amusing, Europe, Festival

Mardi Gras, Carnival, Easter and Lent

February 13, 2018 by Notourguideneeded 1 Comment

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday is celebrated around the world by Catholics (and non-Catholics who just like to enjoy themselves).  The day is actually more than just one day as the festivities begin sometimes weeks ahead with glorious cakes and indulgence.  Some parts of the world refer to it as Carnival, and they make a carnival of the time leading up to Fat Tuesday.

So what is this really all about?

Easter.

According to the Bible, Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection occurred around the time of the Jewish Passover, which was celebrated on the first full moon following the vernal equinox.

The Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325) set the date of Easter as the Sunday following the paschal full moon, which is the full moon that falls on or after the vernal (spring) equinox.   But here is the problem with that:  the paschal full moon can fall on different days in different parts of the world, which would mean that the date of Easter would be different depending on where you lived.  So, for the purpose of calculating Easter, the ‘full moon’ is always set on the 14th day of the lunar month (a lunar month begins with the new moon).   The Church also set the date of the vernal equinox at March 21, even though it can occur on March 20.

Okay, so knowing that, in 2018 the first “full moon” by this calculation would be March 31 (March 17 is the new moon, add 14 days, gives you March 31, which is after March 21).  The next Sunday is April 1.

Now that you know when Easter is, you can calculate LENT.

Count backwards 46 days.  What?? You thought Lent was 40 days huh?  Nope.  It is 6 Sundays plus 40 other days.  Technically the Sundays are not part of Lent and there is much controversy on if you can “cheat” on Sunday.  Here is a link that might help you, which basically says to examine your conscience.

So, you count backwards and you get to a Wednesday, aka Ash Wednesday.  This is the beginning of Lent.  And because it is the beginning, you gotta get it all out of your system on Tuesday, aka Fat Tuesday.   As I said above though, different cultures have different ways of expressing Fat Tuesday, some starting weeks ahead.  It can begin as early as Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day).

Carnival

The word carnival derives from Latin caro, carn- ‘flesh’ + levare ‘put away.’  So to put the meat away as Lent is a time of fasting.

Among the places that celebrate Carnival are:

  • The Caribbean
  • Venice
  • Rio – the largest in the world!

Mardi Gras

While Mardi Gras and Carnival are the same thing, in New Orleans, and most of the American celebrations we refer to as Mardi Gras.  Technically Mardi Gras is just Tuesday but no one is counting.

Some interesting things you may not know about Mardi Gras are here on the History Channel.

 

Music NOLA New Orleans
You will see tons of performances like this. See the guys in the back? Do that – get a drink, stand against the wall and just enjoy! And don’t forget to tip!

 

 

Filed Under: Festival, History, NEW POST, United States

6 Things I Learned by Watching the Eclipse

December 18, 2017 by Notourguideneeded Leave a Comment

Glendo Wyoming Eclipse

A total solar eclipse occurred over the United States in August of 2017.  The hubs and I went to Wyoming to see it.  Here is what we learned:

1. What is an Eclipse Really

Let’s quote NASA on this one:

Sometimes when the moon orbits Earth, it moves between the sun and Earth. When this happens, the moon blocks the light of the sun from reaching Earth. This causes an eclipse of the sun, or solar eclipse. During a solar eclipse, the moon casts a shadow onto Earth….A total solar eclipse is only visible from a small area on Earth. The people who see the total eclipse are in the center of the moon’s shadow when it hits Earth. The sky becomes very dark, as if it were night. For a total eclipse to take place, the sun, moon and Earth must be in a direct line.

And while all of North America was in the path of the eclipse, meaning you can see some of it, only a certain part of the country could see the total eclipse.

 

2. Partial vs Total

The Partial Eclipse, what most people saw, is when the sun, moon and Earth are not exactly lined up. The sun appears to have a dark shadow on only a small part of its surface.

In a Total Eclipse, the Moon completely covers the Sun.  You can take your glasses off for a bit.

 

3. No, it doesn’t get dark and crickets chirp

Why do people think this?  I have a video that shows exactly what happens.  For some reason people think it gets midnight black, the cows lay down and the animals freak out.  We were on a farm; cows don’t lay down.  It actually looks more like it is about to storm and it becomes dusk, if that makes sense.  It does get dark but not midnight dark.

 

4. Small Towns are not equipped to handle tons of people

There are Facebook Pages and GoFundme accounts for the towns in Wyoming.  I thought this was a bit ridiculous until I talked to a waitress over in Glendo, WY.  She explained that there are two things that we don’t really realize: Sanitation and Safety.

Most of these small towns have a sheriff or use State Patrol.  There are no people in the area versed in traffic flow or how to handle large groups.  And the state isn’t funded to bring in people to handle a one day event.  So as she said, they use locals, who aren’t really trained, and many who don’t want tourist there at all.  Remember if you live in a little town in WY, you don’t want to live around a ton of people.

If you live in a small town, you generally handle your own waste.  People will take trash to a dump very far away or just burn it.  What will they do with the 3 million people and all their trash.  And the bathroom situation?  Goodness.

 

5. People will Pay Anything for a Hotel

We stayed in Cheyenne at a Marriott and they were the sweetest staff ever.   We had been eyeing the eclipse so we booked our room way far in advance.  Many didn’t and were paying several hundred dollars.  While there a woman came in with tears telling the front desk guy that there are no rooms in town under $1,000 and she didn’t know where to stay.  He suggested she find something out of the path and she would be fine.

6. It is worth every second

My hubs was the real reason we went to see the eclipse.  I didn’t understand that there is a big difference between a full and partial.  I wouldn’t really care about a partial – I have seen a few.  But the total.. well there are no words to describe the total.

I had no idea what to expect.  Yeah yeah, it will be cool, sure.  We rented land from a farmer so we would be away from everyone else.  We got there several hours ahead of time to set up and really get settled.  And then it started.

We had binoculars and glasses to see the eclipse, along with several cameras set up to capture the moment.

At some point my husband says, set your phone time for 2 minutes as that is how much time we can look at the eclipse.  Yeah, sure.

I’m looking through the glasses.  It is cool.  We traveled quite awhile for this but it is cool.

Then he says, “ok, take off the glasses”.

I do, and immediately it is like I am hit with a euphoric drug.  I start shaking.  I am crying.  I cannot believe what I am seeing.  I want to take a photo but I .. just.. can’t.

Eventually I come to my senses and take a few pictures.  Then the alarm goes off.  Now I know why we set the timer as the 2 minutes seemed like 2 seconds.

The hubs wanted to talk about it.  For the first time in my life I said, “can you give me a minute, I need to go sit over there alone for a bit”.  No questions, because he completely understood.

Those 2 minutes changed my life.  Not drastically but I look at the Earth and the Galaxy a little different now.  We are just a small spec in a much bigger picture.

If you have an opportunity to see a full total eclipse, do it.  Spend the money, take the flight, and do it.

Glendo Wyoming Eclipse
The actual eclipse

 

Glendo Wyoming Eclipse
The farm

 

Eclipse, Glendo, Wyoming
Our Camp Ready to Watch the Eclipse

 

Glendo Wyoming Eclipse
It got dark!

 

Glendo Wyoming Eclipse
Cows on the Farm

 

Glendo Wyoming Eclipse
Filtered binoculars to see the sun/moon

 

Filed Under: Adventures, Featured, Festival, List as FEATURE STORY, NEW POST, United States

The Birth of a Hot Air Balloon

October 11, 2016 by Notourguideneeded 10 Comments

Have you ever wondered “how is a hot air balloon inflated?”

At the Albuquerque Balloon Festiva, I had many opportunities to witness the hot air balloons opening up. I filmed this one for you. It is amazing.

It should answer your questions like:

  • How do they get the air in there?
  • How many people does it take?
  • How long does it take?
  • When do they add the fire?

I hope you like it!  They are posted in certain order so you get a sense of how they did it.

The third video is of the balloons at night.  The night balloons was the highlight of my trip!

** One Note:  In the video I called the officials “tigers”.  They are “zebras”.  I was so excited I got confused! 🙂

 

VIDEOS

//notourguideneeded.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/1.-The-Ballon-Being-filled-with-Air.-Set-up-and-filling..mp4

 

 

//notourguideneeded.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2.-Balloon-being-filled-Gas-and-Fire.mp4

 

 

//notourguideneeded.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/3.-Balloons-at-night-Special-Shapes.-Very-cool..mp4

 

 

 

All opinions are mine.  I was sponsored by the event. 

 

Filed Under: Adventures, Festival, NEW POST, United States Tagged With: balloons, festival, hot air

Tips on how to go to Oktoberfest in Munich

May 2, 2016 by Notourguideneeded 1 Comment

Gingerbread Cookies Munich Oktoberfest

I flew all the way around the world to drink beer with Germans.  Seriously.  Several times.  But the one that I am going to talk about today is Oktoberfest.

My family is German heritage and going to Germany was a great treat for me.   We decided to go in the fall and pop over to Munich for Oktoberfest.  Two years later we took my parents to the festival that we had so much fun!

I read many many blogs and tips on how to do Oktoberfest.  Hopefully I can make it easier for you because I have no hidden agenda (I am not selling tickets, etc).

First,  I need to give a disclaimer that everything I am writing about is my experience.  There may be better ways or different ways to do it but this was what worked for us.

So, now on to the festival… after you figure it out, it really isn’t very complicated.

 

The Tents

Get yourself a copy of the map of the fairgrounds well ahead of time.  If there are specific tents you want to get into mark them.

The way it works is each brewer has a tent (or tents).  Some are enormous, and some are quaint.   Most are inside, however I have sat outside a tent too.    If you are going on a very busy day, you will need to get a reservation.  We timed it to not be there on a Saturday and never needed a reservation.  If you want a guarantee into a tent, then you should get a reservation but honestly if the tent is that crowded, you would be best to go to the next one anyway.

 

Timing is Everything

This site as a pretty good calendar of days that are good and those that are crowded.  There is also a neat guide to help you:  Oktoberfest Guide Link

We always timed getting to the festival around 3pm.  Then the folks who got there at lunch are leaving but the evening crowd hasn’t arrived yet.   Aim for a hotel within walking distance as driving is not an option and the trains are packed.  Pay a little more for location.

As you walk around you will notice that probably half the people are in traditional German attire.  These are expensive and while I always wanted one, carrying it back with me was not an option.  There are tons of shops around the festival (and inside) where you can purchase clothing of any sort.

You will find that the entrance to the festival is very open.  I was expecting bag checks and guards and such.  Nope.  Just go on in, very civilized.

 

The Carnival

Like most festivals, there is a carnival (highly recommend) and tons of places to buy things.  The “tents” are not really Tents but more elaborate buildings set up for beer drinking.  You pick the one you want to go into and just find a seat.  If you can’t find one sometimes the women servers will show you a seat or tell people to move down to make room.  This happened to us later in the evening but we never had a problem during the day.

 

Day vs Evening Events

During the day most people are sitting on the seats, acting normal.  Then people start standing up and chugging beer.  I once saw a very theatrical performance of one person, then two, then another each standing up and chugging beer.  Then everyone stood up and the place just switched from calm to party central in two seconds.  It was amazing.

 

The Most Important Thing

So, you found your spot to drink, now what?  The women will come by and ask if you want beer.  There is no option.  If you are in the tent, you drink that tent’s beer.  Sometimes they will add lemonade too it and they might have water, but you are there for one reason only.

And that reason is the chicken.

Yes folks, the chicken.

Most of the tents have some version of chicken.  It is the best damn thing you will ever eat in your life. You can only find this awesome of a rotisserie chicken in a tent after a beer or three, but I will tell you it will change your life.

Some of the tents also have pretzels, radishes and other food.   That is good too, but don’t fill up until you have the chicken.

 

Cash

Make sure you have determined how much cash you will need.  You can determine how many beers you will drink x the cost of the beer (check before you go).  It is hard to determine because the beers are big and you want to drink them pretty quick or they will get warm, but not too quick where you don’t remember the festival.   (reference the link above for some great money ideas).

If you are thinking of going and aren’t sure, just GO!  Even if the worst case is that you don’t get into any tents, you can still hang out outside the tent in the beer garden and it would still be a lovely time.  The festival is unlike anything I have ever seen and it should be on everyone’s bucket list.

Enjoy yourself, don’t drink too much that you ruin your trip, and eat lots of chicken!

The beers are huge!
The beers are huge!

 

IF YOU SEE THIS RIDE, YOU MUST RIDE IT!!!!
IF YOU SEE THIS RIDE, YOU MUST RIDE IT!!!!

 

This ride will give you great views of the festival.
This ride will give you great views of the festival.

 

Paulander Oktoberfest Beer
Shelia’s Favorite Tent

 

The open gates in 2012
The open gates in 2012

 

Gingerbread Cookies Munich Oktoberfest
Gingerbread Cookies – They are so yummy!

 

 

Filed Under: Adventures, Europe, Festival

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