Lisa gets a Dirndl.
Frock Talk: Wear it even if you can't pronounce it On a bike ride to the Aying beer garden, shortly after becoming a resident of Munich, I encountered the Bavarian’s version of a hayride: a tractor-pulled wagon loaded with a keg of beer, a few tuba-wielding fellows and a group of very merry, young people sporting well-worn lederhosen and tight-bodiced Dirndls. Finding the scene quite charming, I felt a strange yearning for Trachten began to blossom in me. As my first Oktoberfest approached, I thought, wouldn’t it be fun to own a Dirndl of my own for the festival? Then I mentioned my desire to my boyfriend, a native of Munich. “An American girl in a Dirndl, hmmmm,” he pondered, “I think you have to pass a test first.” He grinned. “When you can say Brez’n and Dirndl with a perfect Bavarian accent, then we’ll go shopping.” “Fat chance,” I thought, but a fair deal. Oktoberfest arrived and I watched the chaos and revelry of the event and the abundance of Trachten with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Secretly embarrassed about my desire to don national costume, I decided to put off pursuing it. But, I knew the day would come when I just couldn’t resist tying a flowered apron around my waist. In our feature this month, even Munich natives will learn an interesting tidbit or two from Marton Radkai’s account of facts and unusual Oktoberfest incidents that make up the festival’s rich history. And in anticipation of the event, we have put together an insider’s guide to the festivities — Münchenerin Susanne Zeininger shared her first-hand knowledge of Wies’n doings with staff writer Liz Vannah. For many Müncheners, a favorite way to spend autumn days is hiking in the Alps. An avid hiker himself, Tom Krupp describes the quiet beauty of Lenggries and Tegernsee in our Travel department. With neon art hotter than ever, artists in the new millennium are sure to be using the medium in funky, new ways. Neon will be lighting up the Munich landscape more and more in the coming months, Susanne Reece gives us a tour and some perspective on both permanent installations and temporary exhibits in the city. Everyone in Munich has an opinion or a story to tell about Oktoberfest. I finally got my Dirndl: After two years in Munich, I still had not passed the “Brez’n test”. My mother was visiting as festival time approached, and it was her enthusiasm for the charming costumes that rekindled my fire for the Bavarian attire. With no one around to issue the “test” to either one of us, we dove into a rack of Dirndls at the flea market — cohorts in kitsch. <<<