Oktoberfest

Last night we went to Oktoberfest, sponsored by the German American Club of Greater Miami. This is an annual event, and we went last year for the first time. This Oktoberfest is a lot of fun, and unlike the Oktoberfests sponsored by the German restaurants in the area (Fritz and Franz, Hofbrauhaus), it is sponsored by a community social group, so the feel is less commercial and more folksy. This means that it may not be as polished as the other Oktoberfests, but it feels more genuine. What's more, you can feel good about supporting a local group.



Oktoberfest reminded me of small town bazaars and carnivals, a festive environment with a lot of families...and positive energy everywhere. There is a $ 10.00 admission fee, and then you buy tickets for a dollar a piece, which gets you food and beer. The German American Club Hall was all decked out with German flags and Bavarian checked banners hanging from the ceiling (just like small town Fests in Bavaria). There were two folk bands from Germany, and folk dancing performed by members of the German American Club. It was really fun to watch, even if German folk music is not in my usual repetoire of tunes.



The food was actually really good. I had a schnitzel with red cabbage and potato salad. The red cabbage was wonderful, really strong. I love that German taste combination of sweet and sour. Of course the beer was good (I have yet to try a bad German beer). But the gastronomic highlight were the brezeln (pretzels). They were perfect! Freshly baked at the fest, and served strung up on a stick by women walking through the hall. With butter or spicy mustard, they were really the best thing I ate all night.



To top off the night, the band got us all involved in a conga line, and we were weaving all around the hall, trying to hold on to the person in front of us while not stepping on their heels. Then we did this silly dance that resemble the chicken dance or the hokey pokey. Not the most sophisticated steps, but the kind of dance that leaves everyone breathless and laughing.



I can't wait till next October, to do it all over again.

Back in the Magic City

It's been a busy week back in Miami, and I've been logging a lot of miles on the odometer. I wish I had something exciting to relate, but it's been a rather ordinary week.

I do have a special message for any of my Midwestern friends I saw last week:

It was so nice to see you all! Thanks for sharing our happy event with us, and I am glad to see everyone is doing well. Hopefully we'll see you again soon.

This weekend it is time to have some Miami fun...in the form of the Oktoberfest sponsored by the German American Club of Greater Miami. Stay tuned.

A Midwesterner in the Midwest

I have been lax in my writing...I am back in Iowa for my brother's wedding, and so haven't had any new "fish out of water" experiences. I am swimming in familiar waters for the moment. In my last post, I was missing fall foliage, and luckily enough I am seeing some spectacular color right now. And the air has that familiar chill to it, a little too familiar when I wake up in the morning and am trying to leave the warmth of my bed.

So for now, I am happy to be home, and secure in the fact that Miami will still be there when I return...

Miami Autumn

I think our bodies must have a long weather memory. Every time I step outside, I am expecting a Fall chill in the air, possible even a quick shiver. I feel like I should be seeing my breath when I go out in the morning. Like I should be knitting a scarf. Like it is time to unpack the winter sweaters (the few that I have left). It has something to do with the position of the sun, its rays aren't direct enough, and the days are too short for it to still be in the upper 80's. I've talked about this with other Midwesterners, and they all agree that something doesn't feel quite right.

Everyone in the city is waiting with bated breath for our "Fall" to come. A relief to the sweltering heat of the summer. But we have a little time to wait yet. Sure, the temperature isn't hitting 90 degrees anymore, and we won't average below 80 until the end of November, just in time for Thanksgiving. It has just cooled off enough to get us all excited.

Don't get me wrong, the winters here are delicious, but they are way too short. Every day is sunny and usually requires a light jacket. It's a great time to be in Miami. In fact, that's always when our visitors come.

We also miss out on fall foliage here, which leaves a big hole in my sense of time. That magic transition from every shade of green to the yellows, oranges and reds, warm colors that push against the falling temperatures. First you see a tree here and a tree there change, its leaves some vibrant, fiery color. Then the rest follow in a color explosion. It's the kind of thing that people travel hundreds of miles to see.

At least I am visiting Des Moines in a couple of weeks, and so will get to see a little fall color in Iowa.

Now begins my favorite time of year, beginning with Halloween and ending with the New Year. I am a sucker for the Holidays...