Photo (c) Resident on Earth

Aachen was an important city in Germany in the Middle Ages, and is where the kings of Germany were crowned. It was Charlemagne’s favorite place to be, and undoubtedly his mark is felt on the city.

I really enjoyed our visit to Aachen–at just this time last year. The Mann lived there when doing graduate work, so he was able to show me around. I thought the city had a really nice vibe and feel to it. It felt low-key, and yet it had that energetic “university town” element to it. We talked a lot about how livable it feels.

After my first visit to the Oktoberfest, I’ve come to the conclusion that the world outside Germany breaks down neatly into two categories: those who have been, and those who haven’t. Those who haven’t might still think that Germans are all organisation, regularity and curtness. Those who have know that Germany is indeed organised and regular – but also exceptionally friendly. In other words, they are already kind of in on the secret of why I like living here.

So what is it about the Oktoberfest that is so great? Well, I’m not one for worrying about my reputation, so I’ll happily tell you straight down the line that the drinking is superb. The beer is strong, delicious and comes served in litre glasses termed Maßkrüge: with that as a starting point, what’s not to like?