Starkbierfest: Good beer, better friends

This past weekend, I had the immense pleasure of attending the Starkbierfest at Paulaner am Nockherberg. My lovely friend was visiting from Madrid and I wanted to show her what Munich was all about, namely mass beers and singing. Plus, one of the guys from my writing group wanted to go and was looking for people to join him. So we all agreed to  go and see what this magical elixir was all about.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with starkbier, it was originally created by monks for them to drink during the fast of Lent. The idea was to create something that served as liquid bread since drinks were permissible while one was fasting. The result is a flavorful brew with a higher alcohol content of about 7%, a nice little side effect.

Photo: lisley.biz

Most of the famous breweries in Munich have their own version of starkbeir, but Paulaner's is the most famous and has the biggest parties, so that was where we were going. 

Entrance to the festival this year was 2 euros. If you went Thursday through Saturday, the entrance total was 11.80 euros and included a voucher for one liter (mass) of beer. So if you plan on going next year, budget accordingly. Also, reservations are highly encouraged if you actually want to get a seat inside. 

When my friends and I first arrived, the sun was bright and shining, so we decided to sit in the adjacent beer garden. Not wanting to get too drunk too early, I decided to get some food from the near-by stalls. Now, I do not speak ANY German. I know, I know, bad American. But so far, I've been able to get by with my rudimentary skills of Danish (the languages are surprisingly similar) and miming. There were no menus nor prices listed at the stall and after asking the man behind the counter the prices of several different items, I some how managed to get a plate of a half chicken and a dumpling for 19 freaking euros! I thought I misheard the woman at the register and was going to take my food back for something more affordable. But then she started yelling at me in angry German, so I paid for my meal and mourned the loss of drinking money. So again, be prepared if you decide to check it out, the is not for the tightwad.

Rather than sulk about the culinary rip off, my friends and I enjoyed the day and made arrangements to meet another friend who happened to have reservations inside. Score! 

Must protect the precious beer!

I would have been happy sitting outside all day, but the weather and crowd were both a bit subdued. I was hoping for a German brass band and dancing on the tables. Instead, the beer garden was filled with quiet conversation and civilized drinking. And Despicable Me balloons. 

So once we finished our first round, we headed indoors and was greeted with Bavarian hospitality.

Yes! This is exactly what I was looking for. And after doing a international tour of Oktoberfest, I knew most of the drinking songs and was able to sing along. In the end, my friends and I managed to drink 4 liters of beer, each, over 10 hours. It was great. Until I woke up the next day and looked at my account =)

Visa Time

Those mountains in the background? The Alps!

On July 31st, my residence and work permits for Denmark expired. In order for me to to get a new one from the Germans, I needed several things. If I worked in a "real" industry like computers or engineering, I would be eligible for the Blue Card which meant that all I had to do to get permission to work in the country is present a job offer. But I'm a creative and my job is in entertainment, so things were a little more complicated. 

The first hurdle I had to cross was a valid work contract. This was accomplished by luck/ prayer/ begging. I scoured job listings and miraculously found someone that was willing to hire me. I would work as an international event planner and organize Oktoberfest events throughout Europe. Plus my native English skills would be put to use and help the company expand in England and Scotland. Score!

The second hurdle was finding a home. As I mentioned in this post, in order for me to submit my visa application, I first needed a place to register as my residence. In order for me to register I needed to present a lease with my address. So that meant that I actually had to find an apartment before my job even started and I received my first pay check before I would be given permission to work. Fuck. My company was registered in Uberlingen (which I call the Alabama of Germany, but that is for another post), but my new boss said that we would be moving to Munich after the Oktoberfest tour ended in November. So that's where I started my apartment search. And ran into wall after wall. Trying to find a place there was so hard and stressful that I was afraid I wouldn't find one before my Danish permit expired and would have to leave the EU. I spoke to my boss about the trouble I was experiencing and he offered me a place in one of the apartments in his house in Uberlingen to use instead. 

So I packed my bags and headed south. I took the train from Copenhagen since it allowed me to take more luggage and after three trains and a stop in Nuremberg to see a friend, I arrived in Alabama Uberlingen. 

Now, I don't expect many of you to have actually heard of Uberlingen before, I certainly hadn't until met with my boss. The only thing you need to know is that it is small. So small in fact that the nearest airport is in Basel, Switzerland, which is about an hour away by train. The only thing going for it is the fact that it is a tourist destination for Austrian and Swiss tourists as it sits on Lake Constance, which is borders Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. Oh, and on a clear day, you can see the Alps. 

Brass bands and beer in a Bavarian Beer Hall, one of the few pleasures of Uberlingen

My arrival at my boss's (who I will hereafter refer to as C) house cleared the second hurdle. Now all that was left was receiving clearance from the German authorities that I could take the job that was being offered. For many reasons, German citizens have priority when it comes to employment. This means that the only way C could hire me was if no other German or EU citizen living in Germany was better qualified. How they check, I have no idea, but I had to supply both of my degrees as well as a CV and job description to show that I met the qualifications. And then they see if there is anyone that was better qualified. If there was, they would be offered the position and I would SOL. Thankfully, no one came forward and we received preliminary approval for my application. However, the visa would not come for another month, which meant that I had to live with my boss in a tiny bodunk town for four weeks, with nothing that even resembled a nightlife. 

On the positive side (or should I say sides since there were many things to be grateful for) I got to spend the summer in a lovely town, rent free. The lack of social life gave me the opportunity to enjoy the first real summer I got to experience in three years. And looking back, I'm so happy I did get the chance to relax because little did I know, the upcoming months were going to be exquisite torture.