Westworld Alberta
Issue link: http://westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca/i/80542
Hofbräu's Märzen, which is similar to Paulaner's, though slightly lighter in colour and body. The young men at our table speak as little English as we do Span- ish, but there's plenty of beer to toast each other with, and we all learn the German drinking songs quickly enough, so we get along just fine. We stay until closing, quaffing beer, singing and soaking up the ambiance. (Hofbräu's logo, dating back to its origins as Bavaria's royal court brewery) outlined in neon looms above the hall's white-painted facade. Inside, it's a cacophony of music, singing and shouting. Tables stretch as far as the eye can see, under huge baskets of hop plants hanging from the green-and- white ceiling. At first, we can't find an empty spot, which is a problem, because you can't buy beer anywhere but at a table. But then a black-aproned server, balancing several Maßkrugs full of beer, recognizes our plight and seizes Shawn's arm, pulling him along with her to a table in her section. The people seated there squeeze over to give us room. She promises to return with more beer, and before long, we are swigging our first official beers at Oktoberfest – WE SPEND THE WEEKEND EXPLORING MUNICH by day – the beer gardens (of course), but also the many churches and postwar archi- tectural gems – and visiting the festival grounds at night. On Sunday, we even man- age to take in a soccer game at Allianz Arena, which was built for the 2006 World Cup. On Monday, which is Germany's Day of National Unity, a holiday, and Shawn's birthday, we head to the Oktoberfest grounds around lunchtime. We'll stay a while, we figure, then leave to explore Munich some more before returning to the fest in the evening. We pick the Schottenhamel tent, the festival's largest, where the mayor of Munich taps the fi rst keg at noon on the opening day of the WESTWORLD >> SEPTEMBER 2012 31 Imagebroker/Alamy/All Canada Photos