We didn't go last year because I had to go to Paris for my birthday and also go to a Jon Batiste concert. Oh, well. Not a bad tradeoff. But I was ready to visit again!
This year was the 991st Freimarkt. You know the story - Bremen was granted a free market by the Holy Roman Emperor and folks came to trade and other folks came to entertain. Over the years, it came to be a bit more about entertainment and these days, it is food and drink and balloons and rides and just fun. I don't think there are any stands that really sell stuff. But still, it has been going on for almost 1000 years. Pretty impressive.
We have a particular routine - walk a bit and then find a Bratwurst stand.
I don't know if it was the very first Brat, but in 1906 a local butcher roasted the first Brats here over an open fire. And, yes, we had a Bratwurst from the same company! And we had Kartoffel Puffer, something like Latkes, and beer and some fried bread with powdered sugar and candied almonds. We can all still indulge in these treats. Here we are waiting for our beers....
It was cool and a bit overcast but the air was clear except around some of the rides that throw out artificial fog. Perfect.
So many lights! So much noise! So many people!
And of course the Beer Hall is a huge draw and the only reason some folks go. This is what Oktoberfest is to most folks, standing on tables and singing like crazy to old pop hits and drinking beer and eating pork knuckles. It's fun to watch for a few minutes and years ago we even danced a bit, but now, well, it is really, really loud.
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