Click image for more Schwabing.

I lived near St. Ursula for almost twenty years myself and I swear it never looked that vibrant … to me!

Damn you Kandinsky for seeing the world like no one else – and thanks for your great art.

This is one of the back entrances of a big beer tents at the Oktoberfest. The tent is closed, because it’s overcrowded. No matter if you have travelled half the globe or a local, there is no way in.

In the evenings a lot of drunks will hang out here as well, half-conscious or sleeping – many lying in their own sick.

The Oktoberfest has been transformed into a hardcore costume drinking festival. The traditional "Gemütlichkeit" is all gone.

Most foreigners are not used to the strong beer in a one litre Steiner – or  Masskrug. During a day in a beer tent people easily drink 3 to 7 litres of beer.

The beer tents are often closed, because they are overcrowded (so good luck finding a nice place for yourself and your friends). Binge drinking (or "Komasaufen" in German) has become a serious problem.

The traditional music in the tents has been supplanted by cheesy disco music and vulgar pop songs in English (to please the tourists). Just because the band wears Lederhosen doesn’t make it "original". By trying to be more international the traditional aspects have been replaced by pseudo culture and are therefore no longer special.

At the beginning of the Oktoberfest there is a special parade for Trachtengruppen, who often come from all over Europe. Each Trachten / Costume is VERY specific.

The Oktoberfest has become a victim of it’s own propaganda, many people wear fake Dirndls and Lederhosen like they would go to a toga party with too much beer. These are costumes without any relationship to traditional "Trachten", which are very specific for various Bavarian regions and also very expensive.

The so called "Trachtengruppen" – which are often seen on TV and magazine pages as a synonym for the Oktoberfest – only come on the first weekend for a traditional march and opening ceremony. The other days of the Oktoberfest belongs to the fakes in cheap costumes.

Fake Trachten again – the wasteband loop (I don’t know the proper english word for it) indicates if the girl is taken / married or not. If it’s on the left side she is single and on the right means she is married / in a relationship.

I have been on many "Little Oktoberfests" in other countries and they were as "original" as what’s happening in Munich right now. It has become a hardcore beer Mecca for anglo-saxon combat drinkers, a alcohol tsunami which has to be experienced, endured and barfed through.

Not much "Gemütlichkeit" there …

Any event can be turned into success with the right amount of beer and boobs. Thanks to greed the so called "Gemütlichkeit" has been turned into a costume party with too much beer.

Lord Leighton is one of my personal gods. I love his art – so I was pretty excited to hear that his work would be on display at the Villa Stuck here in Munich.

What an disappointment.

Only a few paintings came to Munich – it was mostly sketches and a few sculptors.

Bah!

The Glyptothek is one of the great treasures of Munich. I love to go there and enjoy these old Greek and Roman statues.

Here are some snaps and videos I made of the Statue of the God Apollo. Don’t be fooled by his feminine looks …

“Ozapft is!!!” – the traditional deflowering of the first beer keg by Munich’s mayor.

The “Münchner Kindl” – the symbol of Munich in the opening parade. It used to stand for monks who founded the city – now it’s a bloody woman …

Try to find some “Gemütlichkeit” in that overcrowded beer hell!

Nah, not going. I am missing that old flair and Gemütlichkeit. Today the Oktoberfest is just an overcrowded theme party – everybody is wearing Dirndls and Lederhosen without honoring tradition or any sense of style.

And the “Kampfsaufen” (combat drinking) has become epidemic. In the good old days the tents closed around 23:00 – and everybody went home. But today people swarm to “afterparties” and other events to continue drinking until they drop. And I mean that literally: the number of death through alcohol has risen in recent years and medical help is more often needed to revive seriously intoxicated party animals.

This has nothing to do with a “family festival”.

My hometown and birthplace München just celebrated it’s 850th birthday last weekend. It is certainly not the oldest city in Europe – more like a middle aged one.

Click image for a bigger shield.

Franz von Stuck – who actually lived here in Munich – is one of my favorite painters. His images are strong and mythical. Many of his paintings have nightmarish qualities and often deeply penetrate the viewers psyche.

After almost a week of rain some good vibes from the sky. The Oktoberfest is half way finished and I am sick of seeing pseudo Lederhosen everywhere. Have a nice weekend!