“When getting lost, sometimes the only thing that matters is if you have a good pair of shoes.”

Do I speak German? No I do not. 

But somehow I committed to a trip to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany.  Because when you have an opportunity, time and resources to go to Germany for the largest festival in the world, even if you don’t speak German, you say “YES!”

When riding the plane from England to Germany, there were excitement radiating from all. And even an energetic group of lads on a stag party were singing. The passengers were from all over the globe, heading to Munich with merriment on their brains.

As we landed and the pack of us headed toward what I hoped was public transport. As I studied the signs directing passengers, I was reminded quickly that I don’t speak German. Silly oversight on my part, that I didn’t do a little more pre-trip preparation. Luckily, I was able to get assistance from a French girl to get my train ticket into the city.

I was again reminded that I didn’t speak German, when I didn’t really know which stop I should get off once the train made it to the city. With the help from a group of kind men from Holland, who had smart phone capabilities they helped me identify which stop I should get off on and where I should head from there. My favorite part of the exchange, besides getting help to my destination was when we joked about getting lost. And how, “the only thing that matters is having a good pair shoes.”  

I eventually made it to my hostel and my friend and had the most amazing time, packed with all of the joys Oktoberfest has to offer.

-a wanderer-