It’s fest time

The fabulous ferris wheel at the Regensburg Dult

View of Regensburg Old Town from ferris wheel

One thing we can agree on, Germans know how to throw a party. One of the best known parties is Oktoberfest and is hosted in Munich every year in late September. But, Munich isn’t the only place to get in on the fun. Across Bavaria, large and small towns host volksfests. Similar to the county picnic we have in the States, a fest features carnival rides, games and booths serving decadent fair food. But one thing certain to draw a crowd and unique to Germany is the large beer tent. Often decorated with large sky streamers and hundreds of fest tables, these elaborate tents serve up hundreds of liters of beer. At Oktoberfest you have to have a table reservation to secure your large mug of beer. But at the local fests, seats are easy to come by and the beer and pork knuckles come quick and often. During the past month we’ve happened upon 3 local fests. Each had its charm…Parsberg is super local so many of our American friends were there enjoying the live entertainment and the limited selection of rides; In Stuttgart, stopping at different booths to enjoy small glasses of wine makes the evening quite enjoyable and the local sellers decorated their booths to resemble quaint Italian restaurants; and in Regensburg, we found the perfect reproduction of an American county fair, ferris wheel included. Prices for food and beverage are reasonable with many dessert treats costing 2-3 euro a piece. Rides, however, might require a visit to the ATM. The 4 euro per person for a ride on the ferris wheel was well worth it. Our view of the city against a stunning bright blue Bavarian sky was incredible.