Oktoberfest

The Oktoberfest is a sixteen-day festival held each year in Munich, Bavaria, Germany during late September and early October. It is one of the most famous events in the city and the world’s largest fair, with some six million people attending every year, and is an important part of Bavarian culture. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations, modeled after the Munich event.

The Munich Oktoberfest traditionally takes place during the sixteen days up to and including the first Sunday in October. In 1990, the schedule was modified in response to German reunification so that if the first Sunday in October falls on the 1st or 2nd, then the festival will go on until October 3rd (German Unity Day). Thus, the festival is now 17 days when the 1st Sunday is October 2nd and 18 days when it is October 1st. The festival is held on an area named the Theresienwiese (field, or meadow, of Therese), often called d’ Wiesn for short.

Beer plays a central role in the fair, with every festival beginning with a keg of beer tapped by the Mayor of Munich who declares O’zapft is! (Bavarian for “It’s tapped!”). A special Oktoberfest beer is brewed for the occasion, which is slightly darker and stronger, in both taste and alcohol. It is served in a one-liter-tankard called Maß. The first mass is served to the Bavarian Prime Minister. Only local Munich breweries are allowed to serve this beer in a Bierzelt, a beer tent which is large enough for thousands.

Visitors also consume large quantities of food, most of it traditional hearty fare such as sausage, hendl (chicken), käsespätzle (cheese noodles), and sauerkraut, along with such Bavarian delicacies as roast ox tails and Äpfelpfannenkuchen or apple pancakes.

Running of the Bulls

There are a thousand and one reasons to stay in Provence. A mecca for beauty seekers, nature lovers, wine lovers and romantics since time immemorial, Provence is nearly synonymous with beauty. The local festivals and customs are at turns grand and quaint, the weather is temperate and sunny and the local people have no reason not to smile. But there is a little known reason to visit Provence. A reason you might be shocked about.

Danger. Excitement. Thrills beyond imagination. St. Remy de Provence’s spring Festival of the Transhumance is also known as the Running of the Sheep. It’s a ba-aa-ad idea to get in these grass munching, bleating wool machines’ way. You don’t want to get covered in lanolin or awaken a latent allergy. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

In the spring it’s time to bring the cloud of furry livestock to cooler elevations to ensure they grow thick coats, and so a huge flock is driven through the town to the hillside. Looking for some great photos? A story to tell? Want to beef up before the running of the bulls? Come to Provence in the spring and don’t warn your family. Watch their faces as the streets become a moving tapestry of fluffy coats and wagging tails. And if you’re looking for something fitting to commemorate the occasion, have lamb chops for dinner.

WINE FESTIVALS ITALY–TUSCANY

If you’re visiting Tuscany there’s a good chance there’s a wine festival or other wine event on the top of your to-do list. Tuscany is world renowned for its wines and perhaps the best known of those is Chianti. There are a few Chianti festivals each year, each one worth checking out, and the one held at the best time of year is held in Montespertoli.

Montespertoli’s hilltop location is the perfect place to be after your eyes have been colored as garnet as the Chianti you sip. You can tilt back a glass, or two, or ten, and enjoy amazing views of Florence and other Tuscan cities. The Chianti Wine Festival, going on its 46th year in Montespertoli, is well known among oephiles and professional buyers alike. Don’t be shy: pick up a bottle or a case of your favorite vintage and bring it back to your rented villa. It’s cheaper than you think to enjoy a classic and comfortable villa in Tuscany and affords you all the privacy and freedom of home but with a much greater view.

Tuscany seems to have a festival atmosphere nearly year round, but Montespertoli’s wine festival is held in May. Give yourself a couple of weeks and see the whole region one town at a time, you’ll be glad you really got to know Italy.