September 27, 2025 - Munich, Germany

We had an easy morning and were ready when Paul came to pick us up around 11:30 this morning. We had a special treat - Paul is the marketing director for Ferrari and he came in a Ferrari and took each of us for a ride before going to Oktoberfest. Ladies first - and fastest! On the Autobahn our speed got up to 275kph - that's 170mph!!! Crazy. Tobey and Paul only got up to about 270kph (167mph). Thank goodness it was only for a short time!


Speed when Tobey was in the car ...



After Tobey's ride, we took the train to the Oktoberfest grounds, arriving about 1pm. It was crowded even early in the day. It's not just beer tents, there is a huge carnival and booths selling food and souvenirs.

We stopped to watch this Toboggan ride and laughed and laughed. To get to the slide, everyone has to slide uphill before climbing the ladder to get to the top. It is a moving walkway of sorts, but goes fast and uphill. There was always one of the workers helping, but more than 50 percent of the people fell down and slid uphill on their bottoms! Paul said it gets funnier after there is more alcohol involved!

Mara was in the "wine" tent with girlfriends, so we headed there to say hello. This is the inside. It was huge and filled with people.

Paul lucked into finding a table of people that were leaving and there were no new reservations for the table, so we were able to get it - one row back from the stage! An added bonus for us that we didn't expect was seeing Paul's mom and cousin. Eva, Paul's mom, brought his cousin from Italy and two of her friends who came to Munich for "Italian Week" at Oktoberfest. We hadn't seen Francesca, his cousin, since 2008. Needless to say, she has grown up and is now a doctor.

Mara, Eva (Paul's mother) and Paul

Eva, Paul, and Paul's cousin, Francesca.

Paul and Tobey singing along with the band

This was the first band that was performing.

This was the second band.

The tables have only benches in a U-shape. Everyone gets up and stands on the benches and dances and sings along - or just visits with the people around you. It is VERY loud and a bit crazy! Here is a brief view of the fun. https://youtube.com/shorts/X2LqCM64h94

Why do these people have umbrellas? Good question.

When the table orders a LARGE bottle of champagne, the server starts to loosen the cork, then they pound it on the floor, moving it a little more. It takes several taps, then the cork comes out and they spray everyone! This is a video of the opening! https://youtu.be/EP8Bdn7sQfo
We were a table away from one of the openings and got a bit wet with champagne! It was crazy.

After a shared lunch and a few hours of entertainment, we went outside to check out the carnival activities. Paul and I went on the roller coaster - the front seat - six loops. It was awesome! Paul, Tobey, and Mara tried their luck at the shooting game. Paul did well and won two small stuffed animals for Mara.

Tobey and Mara shared a turn but they didn't get enough points for a prize. It was still fun for them.

Paul was successful in the hammer slam and won a keychain for Mara.

We finished out the evening with a ride on the Wild Mouse before heading out to Trader Vic's for dinner. We shared an assortment of appetizers and we were all stuffed.


We took the train back to Paul's house and said goodnight to them as they headed back to Mara's. Tomorrow we are hoping to catch up with another one of our German boys, Tom, and his family so we are off to sleep. Good night!