Einstein Jahr 2005

Einstein was born in Ulm and lived in Munich until he was about fifteen. His father and uncle started an electrical company and supplied the first electric lighting to the Oktoberfest. Einstein himself worked as an electrician’s assistant at the Schottenhamel tent. There is still a Schottenhamel tent at the Oktoberfest (check out the videos at the top of the page)...gingham shirts, Tracht, blurriness, electric lighting—it’s all there. They serve Spaten at the Schottenhamel tent, Spaten is also our landlord. Their site features a list of essential Oktoberfest terms, they are pretty much all in Bavarian (Bairisch...which sounds like Irish, only the beer is lighter). The most important phrase, of course, is Hendl (a roast chicken). Want to know how to say someone is stacked?—because I gather that comes up at the Oktoberfest as a topic of conversation frequently—it translates to: wood in front of the hut. Then there’s my favorite, Schunkeln, 'locking arms with your neighbor and swaying from side to side at the table in time to the music. A great ice-breaker and impressive to behold when practiced in large numbers’...a great ice breaker? —damn, I wish I’d known that years ago!