Well, the weather hasn't got any warmer since my last update, but at least it's stopped raining. For now. So here I am, a week on, and I almost feel like I haven't got anything to write up! But that of course is not true. Because the Oktoberfest has started!!! However, in spite of the fame of this huge event, I shall nonetheless write up the week's excitements in chronological order, because I'm that kind of guy.

So Tuesday was Christiane's boyfriend Pietro's birthday, and that evening he invited a whole bunch of people to his flat just near the Ostbahnhof. He cooked up a storm! Plate after plate of southern Italian specialities (my two favourites were the deliciously mild chili peppers, grilled over a gas ring on his hob in lieu of a barbecue, and the parma ham, hand-cut in thick chunks just like a proper jamón serrano) were accompanied by the red wine that is made in his village in Calabria. Oh boy! The woozy head the next morning was SO worth it!

On Wednesday I had the first choir rehearsal of the winter season. It will also be my last for a while, because there's a good chance I won't be around in Munich on Wednesdays for a while. But more about that in another blog... After the rehearsal (we're doing some Rossini and the Fauré Requiem - yay!) a whole big bunch of us went to the nearby Greek restaurant in the Türkenstraße for beers. The choir trip, just as was predicted, has cemented friendships across voice groups.

On Thursday I met up with Tom for a bite to eat in Kreuzberger, a traditional German eatery in the Glockenbach quarter of town, and then we went on for a drink at Edelheiß. But I couldn't stay there long because I had arranged to meet up with Bénédicte & Bezi at the InterNations party at Ksar, just up the road on Müllerstraße. The cocktails were great - the guy behind the bar was giving it the full Tom Cruise treatment with the bottles & glasses - but the company was a little dubious. I'm not sure I'll be rushing to join the networking website that hosted the party.

Friday night was a long one. Christian & Wolfgang were up from Salzburg again, only this time they brought with them an American friend called Jerry who was over for the Oktoberfest. We had some dinner and then went on to the Munich Bears in Silver Wiesn Warmup Party. I caught up with stacks of people I hadn't seen in ages, and we didn't head home until about 3.30am.

Saturday morning was necessarily a slow affair; we eventually emerged and had a late breakfast / early lunch / brunch / call it what you like. Christian, Wolfgang & Jerry headed down to Salzburg, and I headed back to my flat. There Lorna paid a visit and we drank a bottle of wine before heading down to the Oktoberfest, dutifully kitted out her in Dirndl & me in Lederhosen.

We managed to not drink any beer at all at the Fest - which has got to be a first for me - instead sticking with the wine at the Sektzelt and graduating onto shots at various stalls. After a delicious dinner of corn-on-the-cob with butter & salt, we had a ramazzotti (the woman selling us them claimed that we were the first people EVER to have requested double shots, but I find that VERY hard to believe) and then left the Wiesn. Only to stop again on the other side of the road, for more wine, at Lenz!!

We went to meet Harry, Dieter & their friend Wolfgang at Edelheiß (which was heaving like I've never seen it before ever), then dashed round the corner to Rubin for a bite to eat (incredibly good chips, and really tasty bruschetta) before having one last drink. I caught a night tram home and rolled in about four o'clock. Again!

Sunday morning was necessarily a slow affair (déjà lu?); I got changed back into my Lederhosen and headed to the Wiesn to meet up with Christian, Wolfgang & Jerry again. I have to admit that my stamina was flagging somewhat after the weekend's amusements, so I didn't stay in the Bräurosl tent for more than a few hours. But it was long enough to see some old friends and make some new ones, including a French chap, a Spanish chap, & an Aussie. Ah, the international appeal of the Oktoberfest is cool!

I headed home and had a little nap, before meeting up with Lorna again for some dinner at Pasta e Basta in Fraunhoferstraße and some after-dinner drinkies at Cooperativa in Jahnstraße - which, by the way, is such an amazing restaurant/bar that I am DEFINITELY going to be going back there, again & again & again!

And the weekend didn't end there: I managed to get a ticket on the EPO table in the Hackerzelt on Monday night! I met up with Bénédicte at her new office and headed with her to the fest. We managed to get some space on one of the EPO tables, and then Alisdair & Domitille joined us too. Much beer was had by all, and much fun too. Again, my reward this morning was a fuzzy head, but again, it was worth it.