BOTTOMS UP - OKTOBERFEST 2007!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK y'all, I will preface this post by saying that I had to step out on faith in the name of Jesus! I am not one to intentionally stand out in the crowd or unnecessarily draw attention to myself, so I told myself, "Self, you need to participate in the full experience of Oktoberfest, get into the spirit of it and just let your hair down and enjoy it. Self, you can do this and it will be no big deal. Self, you need to start stepping out of your comfort zone more - you can DO this, self." So I decide that I am going to go in full Bavarian boy drag and wear the full traditional lederhosen.

Shopping for it alone induced snickering and outright laughter from the sales girls. Well, I get dressed and head out to the Theresienwiese, the location of the festival. Now why did I have to travel through the main train station to get there?! Honey, you would have thought that I had just stepped off of a spaceship in a tinfoil outfit saying "Nanoo, Nanoo". It is not often that you see a big ole black man in leather breaches with knee socks and a big hat walking around.

So, I get to the fest, find the tent and look for my friends. Each beer company or restaurant sets up large dining tents that house thousands of revelers. Needless to say, in my tent, I was the only brother in lederhosen. From the moment I stepped into the tent, it seemed as though a spotlight was fixed on me. I had total strangers taking pictures (including a journalist), people patting me on my back, rubbing my deer brush (hat decoration), pointing, laughing and all around making me feel like a total freak. But it was all in good fun and done in a positive, endearing way. I have never seen people drink so much beer in my life. Each Mass of beer is a 1 liter mug. Many people drink 7, 8, 9, 10 mugs and sometimes more. Beer doesn't sit well with me so I had a stein of Coca Cola!!!!

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The ultimate in self-deprecating humor or embracing of a foreign culture? Maybe a little of both!

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Classic Bavarian couple in the spirit (L); Bavarian Blond Ambition (R)

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Wholesome goodness: Color coordinated friends (L); twin dirndls are twice the fun (R).

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Adorable Bavarian/Canadian Lolita; German bombshell in couture corset & lederhosen
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Brooklyn meets Bavaria - homegirl microbraids, mini-backpack and a dirndl, you betta' work!
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Me with my friends Julia and Larissa. On that second pic, I have enough grease on my face to fry a pork chop, baby!

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Kids fresh out of their required German army service - home at last and drunk as hell!; Cool rides - imagine riding this after a few liters of beer - not cute!
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Questionable imagery at the flea circus.

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Brazil is in the house; me with Bavarian babes.

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Bavarian guys hanging out (and outside the tent, another brother in lederhosen - adorable!)

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Scare drag with a little shank portion; Good girl gone bad - one too many beers just isn't ladylike!

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This is the sort of event that you have to let go of your inhibitions to fully enjoy it. There is a definite air of corniness - tons of bad live music, really bad dancing and drunken singing. But you know what, it was fun. It was a new experience and I am sooooo glad that I did it to the hilt. I think I received so much attention because people realized that I was embracing their culture and paying tribute to their traditions. Life really is about new experiences and realizing that our differences can draw us together.