Seahawks Win the Super Bowl!!

The Lombardi Trophy!

I know this isn't really travel related, and I know I'm a little late to the party, but it's my blog and I get to do what I want. I also needed some time to really let this settle in. One of my favorite teams in the entire world, the Seattle Seahawks won their first ever Super Bowl on Sunday! It's the first major championship the city of Seattle has won in my life time (not to discredit the two WNBA championships the Seattle Storm have won because I think women's sports should be far more prevalent than they are, but the fact remains it's still not considered a major championship. Boo). My point is, I've never really had a chance to experience something like this before. And boy, what an experience it is!

My dad and brother at the game!

Growing up, I was always a big Mariners fan, playing softball myself. Ken Griffey Jr was my hero. I remember when they made the playoffs for the first time in 1995 and what a big deal it was! My classes would stop to watch the games, knowing it wasn't worth trying to teach us. It was incredible! But sadly, they didn't make it far, and they've only had 1 great season since then. I knew about the Seahawks, too, and my dad claims he took me to games, but I have no recollection of this. It wasn't until high school that I really started paying attention to football and my love increased over the years. In 2005/06, the Seahawks went to their first ever Super Bowl. Everyone knows what happened. It was so disappointing.

But here we are, 8 years later, and the trophy is finally ours! After we won, people went out to the streets to celebrate, throwing Skittles in honor of Marshawn Lynch and generally having a wonderful time. There was a parade today through the streets of downtown. 700,000+ people turned up to see the players, coaches and more bring the Lombardi trophy to its new home. I've never seen anything bring a city, state and region together as much as this has. Everyone was in a good mood, happy to be there, living a moment we'll forget.

Russell Wilson!

Oktoberfest (Wiesn) Like A Bavarian

Going to Oktoberfest in Munich where it all began, is one of the funnest things I've ever done while traveling. I'm fortunate enough to have a friend who lives there and let us stay with her. She was able to give us insider tips on how to do Wiesn like a local, right down to how you should hold your beer and tie your apron.

First of all, if you want to stand out as a tourist, call it Oktoberfest. To Bavarians it's Wiesn (Veesin). Not that you will find anything that says Wiesn on it. You just have to know. Another way to show you're tourist is to not wear the traditional Bavarian clothing. Dirndl's for women, leaderhosen for men. Every store in the city sells these approaching and during the festival. You have no excuse. For ladies, how you tie your apron determines your marital status. Bow on the left means you're single, bow on the right means you're taken.

We're single!

Opening weekend is always the most traditional. There are parades and speeches and they don't tap the kegs on the first day until noon, though the tents open at 9. If you want to get a seat in a tent (which you do, trust me), get there early. We're talking 7am. Get in line and wait until the tents open, then rush in and grab a table. It's a mad house free-for-all. You won't be served unless you're at a table and once they're taken, nobody leaves. You can sit at an outside beer garden, but you'll miss out on the fun inside.

See how they hold their beers?

Once you've got your table, plan to stay the whole day. As more and more beer is consumed, the atmosphere becomes louder and more jovial. Everyone is standing on the benches (but never the tables), singing loudly and having a wonderful time. Make sure to hold your stein not by the handle, but with the palm on the stein itself, handle over your hand. Eat. You'll consume so much alcohol over the day, you don't want to get sick (the Germans never do). This ain't no sissy Bud Light you're drinking, and you're expected to keep up. There are plenty other people who will take your spot if you don't. By the end of the night, you'll be singing right along with your new best friends to all the Bavarian drinking songs, never mind that you don't know the words, or even speak German.

Put a camera up to your face and this happens a lot.

The tents close around 11, but the festival outside goes all night. You'll definitely want to walk around this for a little while, even if it's just to watch the drunk Germans attempt the rides. They are a hilarious lot. I also recommend taking the Ferris wheel. You get a birds eye view of the entire festival all lit up that you really can't get anywhere else, and it's beautiful.

This is the largest festival in the world. Have fun with it! Who knows when you'll have a chance to come back?