That time of year again
In Beijing, October brings changing leaves, colder temperatures, and, for us, Oktoberfest.
Once again this weekend we enjoyed a wonderful night at the Kempinski's Paulaner Bräuhaus for their version of Weisn. Ever since our first time, the kids have really looked forward to this event every fall.
More after the jump
Of course, the food is a big part of the night. We arrived promptly at 6 to be sure to get the eating out of the way before all the dancing and toasting.
The Maßkrug was so unwieldy this full! There was no way I could hoist it over my head with this much beer in it. I had to fix that.
The band was the same as last year's, the Donautal Duo.
They played all the Oktoberfest setlist that we've come to anticipate, like "Joana," "Country Roads," "Cowboys und Indianer," a little bit of "Viva Colonia" during a medley, and "Hände zum Himmel."
Brigid was growing worried that they might not play her favorite song, "So a Schöner Tag."
"I've been practicing, you know," she whispered to me about the motions.
She got to hear that, after the conga line, and then later we also heard our new Germansongobsession, "Rock Mi."
There was one song, though, toward the end of our night (but not the beer tent's night) that turned into an incredible experience. It was sometime after they played "99 Luftballons," which brought all the forty-something women (me included) to the dance floor. The band started to play something I was sure I recognized, but I wasn't quite sure what it was until I googled the lyrics later. It was "Tage wie diese," a more contemporary rock anthem. I have heard it before, somewhere, but clearly not in the right place to be able to predict what would happen once the band reached the chorus.
Suddenly the hall erupted in emotion, prompting even the Germans to whip out their cameras to record the moment. I just love witnessing these sorts of shared events, sometimes more than even being part of them. This is a short video hopefully showing a little bit what it was like.
We rank the Kempinski's Oktoberfest among our best experiences in Beijing. We truly look forward to it for weeks once the dates are announced. It continues until the 26th.
Once again this weekend we enjoyed a wonderful night at the Kempinski's Paulaner Bräuhaus for their version of Weisn. Ever since our first time, the kids have really looked forward to this event every fall.
More after the jump
Of course, the food is a big part of the night. We arrived promptly at 6 to be sure to get the eating out of the way before all the dancing and toasting.
The Maßkrug was so unwieldy this full! There was no way I could hoist it over my head with this much beer in it. I had to fix that.
The band was the same as last year's, the Donautal Duo.
They played all the Oktoberfest setlist that we've come to anticipate, like "Joana," "Country Roads," "Cowboys und Indianer," a little bit of "Viva Colonia" during a medley, and "Hände zum Himmel."
Brigid was growing worried that they might not play her favorite song, "So a Schöner Tag."
"I've been practicing, you know," she whispered to me about the motions.
She got to hear that, after the conga line, and then later we also heard our new Germansongobsession, "Rock Mi."
There was one song, though, toward the end of our night (but not the beer tent's night) that turned into an incredible experience. It was sometime after they played "99 Luftballons," which brought all the forty-something women (me included) to the dance floor. The band started to play something I was sure I recognized, but I wasn't quite sure what it was until I googled the lyrics later. It was "Tage wie diese," a more contemporary rock anthem. I have heard it before, somewhere, but clearly not in the right place to be able to predict what would happen once the band reached the chorus.
Suddenly the hall erupted in emotion, prompting even the Germans to whip out their cameras to record the moment. I just love witnessing these sorts of shared events, sometimes more than even being part of them. This is a short video hopefully showing a little bit what it was like.
We rank the Kempinski's Oktoberfest among our best experiences in Beijing. We truly look forward to it for weeks once the dates are announced. It continues until the 26th.
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