Oktoberfest: Hacker Festzelt Biergarten/Rides
Sunday 4th October – Hacker Festzelt Biergarten/Rides
Under very overcast clouds and the watchful eye of Die Bavaria we gathered to see the “closing ceremony” of Oktoberfest – a traditional gun-salute on the steps of the Bavaria monument.
The event was surrounded by a lot more ceremony that we had perhaps expected. The large gathering crowds were parted as traditionally dressed musicians and shooters paraded through to the steps. There were plenty of speeches, including some confident words from our favourite mayor Dieter Reiter. We didn’t pick up on much of what was being said (in German) with a lot of “schutzen” and “konig-schutzen”.
Some light rain kicked in, but we were not going to be deterred from seeing Dieter Reiter lead the band with a guest conducting role. We pulled up coats and watched the concert. There was a part where Dieter, believing he had reached the conclusion of the song, made the “end of song” conducting gesture. However, the band continued playing after that short pause in the composition and this displeased Patto slightly: “If the conductor says it’s done, then they should have finished”. I agree.
We enjoyed some beers in the Hacker Festzelt Biergarten, but by this stage I could only muster putting down a single beer. I don’t think I had even fully recovered from the Friday session!
One of the rides in the distance had the scores of the football match (FC Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund) on its apex screen. We were amazed as the goals continued piling up for Bayern, and were wishing our Dortmund friend who we met in Augustiner Festhalle on Friday was still around so we could tell him who the best team was again! The final score was 5-1 and pretty sure it was Lewandowski who continued his fine form for the season and ran riot over his former team.
As it was the last chance to bask in the festivities of the Wies’n, we set about going on some of the rides. Along the way, we spotted The Motodrom and I insisted that it was something that Gemma and Patto had to see. It’s essentially a large, open barrel with people riding motorbikes around the inside while doing stunts. It’s very old school and harks back to a day when safety was not paramount. Patto was in disbelief and Gemma could barely stand to watch. Such feelings reached a peak when the rider sat sideways on his bike, waving to the crowd above.
We then went on to ride the Playball. It’s a small ride but certainly packs a lot of g-forces. Think Disneyland’s tea cups on crack and on a raised, tilted platform and you’ll be getting somewhere close. I think it was perhaps an involuntary reaction to the g-forces the ride generates, but Gemma and Patto could not stop laughing! I was a bit more seasoned as I had been on it multiple times throughout the festival, and even earlier at Rosenheimer Herbstfest. It remains my most favourite ride, because no other ride generates the amount of force like it does.
As night fell, the cold was setting in, but there was no way I was going to leave without riding the Conga. I had intended to much earlier, but had never gotten around to it and knew I’d regret not doing it. I convinced Patto to go for one last ride and we took to the skies affixed to its long mechanical arm! The scale of the ride was much bigger than all previous, so it went very high into the air. It was fun, but once you got used to the motion the extreme height was its only thrill point.
We headed back home satisfied that we had sufficiently conquered the Wies’n! I remember only having a short chat back home with the others before we all conked. It has been a big day, and a big two weeks over the festival!
