Frühlingsfest!

This weekend Kyle and I got to partake in our first real German experience- Stuttgart's Frühlingsfest, or Springfest.  It is like a smaller version of the Oktoberfest, but in the spring.  The fest was like a state fair on steroids complete with roller coasters, sausages, lederhosen, and of course beer!  As you enter the fest it is a sensory overload with all of the lights and the smells.  This is what you see as you first enter the fest.

Kyle and I went with our friends Charles, Ingrid, and their daughter Lilly.  We were all craving some wurst, so we hit a food tent right away.  Kyle and I both had a curry wurst, which is a bratwurst with ketchup and curry powder.  Delish!  The five year old, Lilly, went straight for the foot long rotwurst served on a whole baguette. Needless to say she didn't finish!  A little bit later we each had chocolate covered fruit on a stick.  Sorry, we devoured it before Kyle could get a pic!

Curry Wurst

Incredibly Cute Picture of Lilly Attempting a .5 Meter Wurst

After wandering around the fest taking in the sights, smells, and a Ferris wheel ride, it was time to sample some of the famed German fest beer.  We had a round in a more natural looking area of the fest while listening to some good old fashioned Oompah music.  Here is our first fest beer.  Prost!

We walked around the market part of the fest where they sold everything from soap to dental tools.  (Yes, Kyle bought a dental tool.)  Then we decided it was then time for one of the three huge beer tents. (From the inside, you would never guess that the beer tent was a temporary structure.)  We met up with a few more people and continued to eat and drink.  The thing to eat at this beer tent was a roasted half chicken.  It was delicious and juicy, and of course salty to make you drink more! The main course of our fest meal was beer, which is served by the liter. My beer was as big as my head!

They even had a beer ride to keep the little ones occupied and to buy their parents some more time.

After the fest, the ladies and kids headed home (don't worry, we were on public transit) while the guys headed for the go-kart tracks.  At this indoor track, the go-karts did not have governors to keep the speeds down, making it much more fun than the go-karts next to the putt-putt that eight year olds get their kicks on.  Kyle said he giggled like a little school girl!  (I'm thinking he needs to take me to this place...I didn't want to nose in on the bro time :)  And in typical German fashion, at the track is a bar.  Sounds safe, right?  We've heard from many people that Germany is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

We're hitting the fest again on Sunday with a group from the USO.  It will be the last day of the fest, so it should be pretty awesome!