beerfest

Well beerfest was a small affair this year and I hoped that with fewer numbers it would involve less dramas than it did last year. It also was the first run in the new van so I hoped that I hadn't brought a lemon and the old girl would make it there in back in one piece and that we didn't have a repeat of last year.
The weekend got of to a bad start. I had lost the cable for the satnav. I thought it was sitting in B1 and left it till last minute to check only to discover that it wasn't. My own fault really. I looked up on the net to find that Halfords sell them so a quick stop on my way home and we'd be back in business no problems. Problem. They only sell them on line so I had to buy a whole new satnav. Not money I really wanted to part with but there was no way I was going to try and drive across Europe in the middle of the night with out one.
So I arrived home and the two passengers, Steff and Leanna, where waiting for me. So we loaded up the van and attempted to get under way when I hit problem number two. I plugged the shinny new satnav into the cig lighter and, nothing. I jumped out and checked it in the car and it worked fine so I tested the plug and nothing. After trying for about half an hour to get it working I had to give up and come to terms with the fact it was dead. So we all jumped in the can and headed to the local car parts store that luckily stay open to 10pm and after a wiring up a new plug we where finally on the road.
Things where going well. The van was running like a dream, better than B1 even, and we where making pretty good time after the delay at the start.
We arrived at Dover in good spirits and excited about finally getting to Europe. Then we hit snag number three. Steff had forgotten his passport. Of all the things to forget. Thoughts of leaving him on the dock and heading on flashed through my mind as we had to meet Tracy first thing in the morning and time was already against us. But the French had no problem with Steff entering their country with just his drivers license, after a bit of ribbing about the rugby world cup games that where to be played that weekend. The next official that checked our ferry tickets had no problem with it either. Just a warning that if we got in to any trouble then we where on our own. Sweet! Things where looking up.
The rest of the trip there was without dramas, other than having to stop every 10 miles for Steff to pee and to stock up on goodies to keep us going.
We arrived in Munch just after dark to find a very board Tracy. We parked the van in the camp site and made our way to the local for dinner and a few beers which turned into the biggest night of the whole trip. The food was amazing and the beer kept flowing till the point we where smashing glasses and we where pretty much thrown out in to the night and stumbled through the woods back to the camp site for a few more beers from the vending machine, a few rides on see-saws and other silly things before heading to bed.
The girls where up first and promptly kicked us out of bed and we jumped on the first bus of the day to get in to get a jump on the crowds but when we arrived we discovered that every beer hall was already full and security wasn't letting any one else in anywhere. We later discovered that the last Saturday's a big deal to the Germans and you have to get up pretty early to beat them to a tent. We ended up with a good spot out side the Paulaner tent where we settled for a day of pretzels, chickens, special Olympics and of cause beer.
At about 5 in the evening we tried to get in to one of the tents and joined the line but after talking to people that had been waiting for over an hour we decided not to bother and try again tomorrow. So what else could we do but hit a few rides and make out way back to the camp ground and the safety of the van for an early night in preparation for our final day in which we where going to get in to a tent no matter what.
We all where struggling to get up on the last day but we had to get into a tent and we dragged ourselves out of bed and on to the early bus only to discover that all the Germans must have hangovers as the tents where empty so we wandered round and got some hot food for brekie and decided what tent we would park up in. Steff and I decided at the start of the trip that we would stay away from the HB tent as we wanted to hang out with the locals and not with all the antips so we decided on the Lowenbrau as it was the closest to where we had breakfast.
Now it started off pretty quiet. Tracy had to catch a train at 5pm which meant she had to leave the beer hall at about 2ish to catch the tube back to the camping ground to pick up her pack and head for the train station. After befriending pretty much every one at our table and much dancing on chairs and eating(and throwing) of radishes, buy 3pm, we where pretty much legless. We had convinced Tracy that we would all grab a cab and get her pack and get her to the train on time. We stumbled out of the beer hall at about 3.30 with a very worried Tracy in tow. We flagged down a cab and after collecting Tracy's pack from the camping ground headed to the train station in double quick time. We arrived with minutes to spare and with the train in sight we said our good byes but as we did the train pulled out leaving us standing on the platform. A dash across the station to the info desk to discover that there where no other trains heading back to Amsterdam that would get her home in time for work in the morning. Plan B, off to the Airport.
Now you may or may not know but Munch airport is about 45ks out side of Munich its self but lucky we had a very lead footed taxi driver driving a lovely new AMG merc so we where there in no time. Again Tracy and I ran in and tried to get a cheep flight back to Amsterdam but the problem with that is it was the last day of beerfest and every flight was full. But the very nice, and very camp Air France desk clerk did manage to find one seat on a flight that went direct to Amsterdam. And it was first class. Then there was one little drama with the check in operator not being able to read that we had just brought a first class ticket and thought we where on stand by. At this stage Tracy had had enough and just collapsed on the floor and the nice deck clerk came running over and called the check in guy an idiot in French and rushed us through security and Tracy was on her way.
I headed out to the cab to find Leanna just waking up and wondering what we where doing at the airport. Steff and I decided that after all the excitement we needed a beer and as we walked back into the beerfest grounds it was agreed that a session in the HB hall was what was called for after the excitement of the afternoon.
We walked in and the place was humming. Everyone was standing on benches if not tables. Even the ladies bringing us beer where dancing with us in between deliveries. There was a great band playing classic drinking tunes that kept us all going and every now and then they threw in the traditional German drinking song but after hearing them all weekend we could almost get away with singing along with our new German friends.
After a great rendition of Robbie's Angles where the whole beer hall was on the tables with there hands in the air we decided to call it a day and after stopping of to get a few tshirts we headed off to the catch the bus back to the camping ground and the safety of the van for our last sleep in Munich.
The great thing about the beer at beerfest is that its naturally brewed so there is much less of a hang over the you get from drinking beer from a can so when we woke up on Monday morning we didn't feel to bad considering we had been drinking for the last three days. We packed up the van and where on the road pretty early. The sun was shining allowing me to take some photos nice photos out the window of the van of the county side and the many wind farms the have in Germany We where making pretty good time to get the ferry we had booked that evening.
Back in France and after getting a little lost trying to find the ferry after a quick refuel, we where just about on time to get the ferry and pulled up to customs passports at the ready, for those of us that had them. It was then we hit our final problem. As Steff had no passport the very nice man at border control decided not to let him back in. Over an hour was spent negating, checking, double checking and a quick phone call to Kristy to get her to send photos of Steffs passport to us from her camera phone, we where finally let through to the ferry where we could at last get on the next ferry that had a spot of us.
We finally pulled back in to London town in the very early hours of the morning tired but I was happy that it was under our steam and happy to get right to my front door this year.
So thats it I guess. Although we had a few more problems this year and I spent a few more pounds than I would have liked it was still a wicked weekend. Probably my best beerfest yet. And as usual there are some photos for you to look at. Just click HERE or the link on the right.
Later