Friday, October 2, 1981
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| Train day pass |
Left work a little early (having worked through lunch to compensate) to
catch the 18:24 train to Basel, arriving at 19:32. The train information area
was crowded, so I went straight to the ticket window to check on connections to
Munich. Bought a ticket through Karlsruhe for a whopping 77.40 CHF/$38.79.
Boarded the 20:08 train for Karlsruhe. This train was made up of German cars
with compartments. Had to double check that the 6-person compartment with plush
seats was really 2nd Class. Wonder what 1st Class looks
like? Printed handouts at each seat listed the stops and connecting trains.
This train was an InterCity (IC) named Hans Holbein (a German artist, probably
the Younger). Joined by an Asian girl who asked in German if I wanted to share
her chestnuts, then a German lady with lots of luggage. We left 15 minutes
late. Passport check was very thorough and our info was written down in a
little notebook.
The conductor came later, and I was asked if I had paid a Zuschlag/surcharge (somewhat
appropriately named, because it could be translated as a “sock it to you”!). I
hadn’t, so I owed 6 Deutsch Marks (DM)/$2.60. I had changed 200 CHF/$100 to
231.80 DM in Biel, so handed over a 10 DM bill. He handed me four coins in
change. Later I was to find that instead of four 1-DM coins, I was given three
1-DM coins and one 5-DM coin. The conductor did not have enough change for the
Asian girl and told her he would be back. He never did return, and the Asian
girl thought she had already paid an expensive Zuschlag. My compartment mates carried on a conversation about
drivers licenses.
Arrived in Karlsruhe about 22:00. Used the restroom for 30 Pfennig/15 cents
and recognized the station where Kathy C and I once spent the night.
Took the 22:34 train to Stuttgart with one car going all the way to Munich.
It was a local car, not having compartments, which I thought was funny for an overnight
train. A couple Eastern Europeans boarded. It now seems typical that they have
mounds of baggage, this time including a bicycle. Their things filled up two rows of
seats, and they barely got seats themselves. An old lady with a beak-nose asked
if they were Greek. No, Yugoslavian. The eldest said he had three wives and 15
children. One wife is in Germany and two in Yugoslavia. His friend sitting next
to me snickered. The lady seemed doubtful and asked if he was Muslim. He was,
so maybe he could be believed. The young girl sitting across from me was knitting
a nice sweater. She was going home to her husband, so did not take up the offer
to become a 4th wife.
The nosy lady left, and the Yugoslavians got their own row of seats. The
young knitter got off to be met by a young blond, and the Yugoslavians declared
he was too old for her. (As if they weren’t?! One was a grey-haired patriarch
perhaps in his 50s, and the other looked like a caricature of actor Jamie Farr in his
40s.) I was joined by an old German preppie (in his 30s wearing jeans and a
pullover sweater) who took off his shoes and put his feet up on the back of the
seat in front of him. He seemed very surprised to see his toes sticking out of
a big hole in his sock. His solution to this embarrassment was to remove his socks
and put his bare feet up on the seatback.
Saturday, October 3, 1981
We left Stuttgart 10 minutes late at 00:30 (or else, German time in 10
minutes behind Swiss time). I slept as much as I could. Several American GIs
boarded. They were in jeans, but had the clean cut Army hairdos. They spoke in
Southern accents and every other word was unnecessary.
The elder Yugoslavian’s wristwatch alarm went off at 1:00. He just let it beep (because he didn’t know how to turn it off?!). You could see other people checking their watches to be sure they weren’t the ones beeping!
The elder Yugoslavian’s wristwatch alarm went off at 1:00. He just let it beep (because he didn’t know how to turn it off?!). You could see other people checking their watches to be sure they weren’t the ones beeping!
Arrived in München/Munich at
4:00. The ticket area was locked up and the outdoor exits were blocked by chain
link fences, so it looked like there was no way out. The station was full of
sleeping bodies. It was too early to leave the station anyway, so I found a
seat outside a station café to read.
There was a steady breeze and I noted my fingers were turning blue. They
opened the chain-link fence gates at 5:00.
A first aid van came driving by with a blue light flashing and he stopped
in the middle of the platform. Then an ambulance came in with an occasional
blast of the siren. There was a lack of commotion despite the large numbers of
people in the station. The ambulance left with somebody in the back.
I noticed the train sitting in front of me wasn’t to leave until 6:53. I
decided to sit on the train to warm up. It wasn’t really warm, but at least
there was no breeze. When people started boarding the train at 6:30, I got off.
The ticket windows were now open, so I explained that I was going to Zürich,
but only needed a ticket to the Swiss border. Bought a ticket to San
Margarethen for 41.10 DM/$18 with a 4.40 DM/$2 Zuschlag/surcharge.
Got in line for the Tourist Information Office. A group of eight girls
heard there is always a long line here, and were happy to be the first in line.
They attend a Luxembourg branch of Miami University (Ohio). I was the third
group behind a pair of American girls. Just before 8:00 they unlocked the doors
and a man set himself up at the door to let us in a few at a time. Since the
first 10 people were really only two groups, he let me in as well. I had a
dull-witted fat man who first successfully tried to sell me a map (I didn’t have
the change to purchase a map from a vending machine earlier). He gave me a
general brochure about München before
disappearing. He returned to try to sell me a program of October events in the
city. I just wanted to know about the Oktoberfest. “Oh, you just go,” he said
as he waved out the door. “Go where?” I thought as I left. I noticed a pile of
pamphlets at the door and took one in English. When I went out, another person
was allowed in.
I read the pamphlet to learn that the Oktoberfest is held in the Wies’n/meadow and traditionally begins
in September, running for 16 days until the first Sunday in October. So I was
just in time!
But first I was going to Nymphenburg Schloss/Palace.
Checked out all the transportation options. There was a confusing system of
fare zones and the minimum fare was 2 DM/90 cents. The 24-hour pass seemed to
be a huge bargain at 6 DM/$2.60.
I validated it in a nearby vending machine
before realizing that was for the subway. Went to the tram stop and boarded the
second car of a double-car tram, and validated the ticket again. On reading the
back of the ticket I saw I had to sign it and it must be accompanied by photo
identification. (In retrospect, it didn’t matter where it was validated because
it was valid on the subways and buses.) I carefully watched others to see which
button to push to alert the driver I wanted to get off!
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| Munich 24-hour transit ticket |
It was a long ride out to Nymphenburg (1664 by architect Agostino Barelli). Got off with a group of Eastern
Europeans and followed the dark-suited men and bescarved women towards the palace. It was at the end of a long canal
and looked so plain!
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| Nymphenburg Schloss/Palace |
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| Nymphenburg Schloss/Palace |
Closer I could see gold trim, but still so plain. There
were swans, geese, and gulls in front.
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| Nymphenburg Schloss/Palace |
The palace wouldn't open until 10:00, but
I could wander the grounds; a long promenade with a non-functioning at this
time fountain, and empty flower beds.
Sat on one of the many benches to plan my day. Having been to München several times before, there wasn’t much left to see. Looked for the smaller Amalienborg hunting lodge (1734-39) on the Nymphenburg grounds, a shuttered little building. |
| Amalienborg Palace |
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| Hofbräuhaus/Royal Brewery |
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| Olympiczentrum/Olympic Center |
The Olympic Tower is like a telecommunications tower.
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| Olympic Tower |
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| Olympic Tower and Swim Hall |
Also saw the distinctive BMW headquarters. First went into the Swim Hall with its Olympic-size pool (really!) which was in use. Next to the Swim Hall was the stadium. Behind it were a lake and a hill with paths winding their way to the top. I tried to use the ladies room, but still didn’t have the correct change. Passed the auditorium, now used for concerts. There were a lot of tourists, even though nothing was going on. Many wore red and white hats, scarves, and sweatshirts.
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| Olympic Center bus station |
The Oktoberfest started in 1810 as a public festival to celebrate the
marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig. It has continued annually, being cancelled 24
times due to cholera epidemics and war.
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| Oktoberfest entrance |
We arrived to what looked like a huge Erie County Fair, with amusement rides, arcade games, lotteries, and food booths. Chocolate hearts in all sizes, from a few inches to a foot across with a message in white.
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| Chocolate hearts |
Also pretzels in similar sizes.
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| Pretzels |
Many, many booths barbecuing chicken and long lines were beginning to form. Wurstel/sausages and mustard, cheeses, fish sandwiches, candies, and even cotton candy (called Papa’s Beard in German).
And then there were the beer halls.
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| Hofbräuhaus Festhalle/Festival hall entrance |
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| Hofbräuhaus Festhalle/Festival hall |
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| Kegs of beer |
Small kids got Coca-colas, but if you looked over 16 years of age, you got a beer. Vendors walked around selling feathered hats and pretzels. You could order a barbecued chicken or sausages. Smoke hung over the crowds as they toasted and swayed to the music. Everyone was happy!
The Pschorrbräu hall had a carousel of Münchener/Munich clock figures, and outside the Löwenbräu hall there was a mechanical lion drinking from a mug and occasionally growling “Löwenbräu/Lion Brew or Beer.”
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| Carousel in the Pschorrbräu hall |
Saw a building where large fish were being grilled over charcoal.
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| Grilling fish |
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| Löwenbräu hall |
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| Löwenbräu beer wagon |
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| Decorated horses |
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| Statue of Bavaria |
I walked through the milling crowds and
managed not to get trampled by a stampede of youths in red and white. The
Bavarian/Munich soccer team must be doing well. I saw a couple U.S. GIs, but
half the people here were wearing red and white!
Returned to the Hofbräuhaus hall
to buy another mug for 35 DM, this one the Official 1981 Oktoberfest mug. They
also had the mugs for 1978-1980 and one fellow bought all four, but the ones
without the tin lids at 15 DM/$6.50 each. The lady here was kind enough to give
me a plastic bag for my broken-handled box, so that I could easily carry my two
mugs.
I took the tram back to the train station and accidently got off a stop too
soon because I couldn’t see through the mass of passengers. I walked the rest
of the way to the station, keeping up with the tram in the heavy traffic. At
the station I bought a drink and finally had change to use a restroom!
Boarded the 13:50 train to Zürich. Later the man sitting across from me
asked if I spoke English. He should have just asked if I understood English, as
he did all the talking. He had a sister in California, and was afraid in New
York City, too expensive, he wished he could work any where in the world but he
was only a teacher. His name was Valentin and he lived in Zürich. Two American
Eurail Pass users joined us and he soon had Diane and Mary Jane involved in the
conversation. Diane was a nurse and he wished he was a woman and a nurse; life
would be so much easier (hah!). He talked about a homologous society, nuclear
armament, the sights to see in Switzerland (not appropriate ones for Eurail
Pass users!), and Swiss food. A guy named John from Georgia stopped in the
compartment to say ‘hi’ to the girls whom he knew from Detroit. Valentin said
John looked like some movie star, couldn’t recall the name, but starred in “Around
the World in 80 Days,” and he also looked like some writer. He leaned on his
jacket and accidently tore off a loop. Diane had just finished a sewing job on
her tote strap, and offered to fix the loop. The conductor came through to say
a mini-bar was coming through. Valentin eagerly looked forward to the “little
restaurant” and wanted to get Diane something for fixing his jacket. They had
bottles of beer. Diane and Mary Jane left to go play cards with John. A nun
joined us in the compartment and Valentin kept talking. He said I looked
younger than 26 and I was to guess his age. He didn’t say much after I said
“50.” I thought I was underestimating, too! Another girl joined our compartment
and was asked what she was reading: “The Women’s Room” in English. She was
Swiss, but had lived in Australia for a couple years. Valentin wasn’t
interested in talking to a Swiss girl. |
| Train day pass |
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