Brisbane had a two-weekend Oktoberfest earlier this month. It was just a few blocks from Jeff's office, so you know his co-workers were there! We weren't around the first weekend so Jeff just had to join them the second weekend.Jeff and co. got there around 4 when it opened. I met up with them about 5. It was held on the RNA Showgrounds, which is an arena that specializes in the Ekka (sort of a county fair) and agricultural shows. It was a very rainy day so there was a light but distinct odor of....sheep shit. Mmmmmmm.......farm yard!
There were a half-dozen white food tents as well as a "costume rental" tent (think drindls and lederhosen). There was also one veeeeeeeeeeery large white tent full of tables, beer stalls, and a stage. The whole area was muddy but it was also, blessedly, dry inside the tents.The boys were already well into the beer. The tent was about 75% full and people kept pouring in till I left about 9 pm. It was probably 80% guys and 20% women. The table next to us was actually a group of young women, all of whom had rented the ladies costume.
Now, imagine one of these costumes. Heeled shoes, long white stockings that stop about mid-thigh, short felted skirts with under-garments to fluff everything up, snug little lace-up vest that stops just below the breasts with a thin drawstring white blouse under the vest. And then the girls start dancing/bouncing to the band.Bouncing. Looooooots of bouncing. As you can imagine, the guys were trying to tacitly not be transfixed. They, um, failed.
The beer was OK but not spectacular. I ended up just drinking out of Jeff's stein all night.
I got to meet Jeff's co-workers for the first time and in an environment where they're all...happy. And uninhibited. Very uninhibited. Yeah, it was a good time!The band was pretty pro. Their German numbers sound quite good. However, they spent about 90% of their time covering tunes from the 70s and 80s, a lot of it from the US. On the whole, that wasn't too bad. But, I gotta say, predominantly male Australian-German oompah bands should not cover:
John Denver's "Country Roads". It was downright painful to listen to a room full of drunk Australians mangling references to "Blue Ridge mountains".
Tina Turner's "Proud Mary". Oh, wrong. Just wrong!
I left about 9. The volume in the room was as loud as you might imagine (conversations only possible through shouting) and my ears were pretty much done. Jeff had originally planned to leave with me but, no surprises, he decided to stay. He didn't make it to closing time -- midnight -- with the rest of the guys but he was still good and toasty when he got home.Yes, Jeff works with guys who can all out-drink him!
Were you wearing one of those lovely costumes??? Sounds kinda like where I spent last weekend, The MD Renaissance Festival :-)
ReplyDeleteI actually looked quite frumpy in my pull-over sweater and gray sweats. Add the white hair and glasses and I could have passed as Jeff's mom as much as his wife!
ReplyDeleteJeff did ask if he'd have to spend a lot of husband points to get me to wear one of those costumes. I said it wouldn't cost him anything...as long as we didn't leave the house. :)