My friend Luke hanging out with "Das Schnitzel" at Wurstfest 2009.
No, I didn't fly to Germany this weekend.
I've spent a lot of time in Germany in the course of my life. I was there before the Wall came down and have spent months at a time roaming from town to town while I was still a musician. I actually had designs on being a German teacher at one point in my life. I still speak and understand some of the language - enough to get me where I need to go.
I have a certain love for all things German. I guess it just rubbed off on me during my time over there. Some cities are so familiar to me I can point you in the right direction of my favorite restaurants, hotels, and venues. My love for all things German especially extends to two things: beer and sausage (or Wurst as they are called in German).
Wurstfest 2009 - New Braunfels, Texas
I didn't realize how much German influence there was in this part of the country until I moved here. New Braunfels, Texas is the home of Wurstfest, "A Salute To Sausage," billed as Oktoberfest - Texas Style. With tons of different vendors selling all sorts of different sausage, beers from Späten to Warsteiner (as well as local German-inspired favorite, Shiner), gifts (steins, lederhosen, hats, and more), and a typical round up of small town festival foods. Music continues throughout the day and night in several locations throughout the Landa Park grounds. No matter what, you'll have a good time.
This year seemed very packed compared to previous years I've gone and I wonder if the festival isn't growing too much for the size of it's location. Located along the banks of the Comal River in Landa Park, the Wustfest grounds may need expanding once again if attendance continues to climb. Started in 1961 (1967 was the first year it was held in Landa Park at the Wursthalle), the festival continues to attract people from around the world as well as locals and nearby residents. You can see the pride on people's faces as they walk through the festival grounds. It's a Texas thing that's deeply rooted in the beer halls of München (Munich).
Next year, come on down. Trink ein bisschen Bier and viel Spass machen. (Drink a little beer and have a lot of fun.) Wilkommen. We're glad you came.
All content ©2008-2010 by Matt Stigliano unless otherwise noted.
Matt Stigliano, Realtor® Becker Properties | (210) 646-HOME | www.RErockstar.com
"Your all access pass to San Antonio real estate."
Isn't Wurstfest da bomb??? I love it...one of the very best parts of living in Central Texas. Any party whose theme is the Ten Day Salute to Sausage has got to be worth attending! Glad you had fun!
What, no picture of you in liederhoses??
My neighbor is German and we have some great German bashes. They drink to much beer for my wine taste but I take my own.
Matt:
I didn't realize that there would be so much German influence in Texas. It sounds as though the "wurst" night was probably a pretty good time.
Brother Matt...
There's something about good "WURST!" BTW, I speak a little German myself, I took 4 years of it in high school, and subscribed to "Der Spiegle" for years to maintain ny knowledge of the language!
Jeani - While everyone in town pines for Fiesta, I'm awaiting Wurstfest to roll around.
Steve - You know how expensive those things are? Even before the Euro (when the dollar was strong against the Mark) they were way out of my budget for something I would only wear once a year.
Laura - I'm a beer lover, so it fits right into my plan. German wines aren't very nice (in my opinion - they're just too sweet), so I wouldn't recommend that.
Claudette - Our area was settled by Germans, so in and around town you'll find a lot of German influence. Restaurants, road names, city names, beer...it's all there. There's even some interesting cross-translations going on. For instance the town of Gruene, Texas is pronounced "Green." The word Gruene (grün in German, the "e" in the Americanized spelling indicates a U umalut (ü)) is translated "green" in English.
Brother Richard - I remember this, it was one of the points that had me realize that we were brothers - "ActiveRain helped me find a long lost relative." Wir sprechen Deutsch, so wir müssen Brüder sein.
Matt, you and my brother in law would get a long just great! I once took a beer out of the fridge for Walter (who's now living in the States) and I think he about hit me on the head with it! Too cold I learned! Glad you had fun!
Matt - Why was this the WURST night of your life? It sounds like you had a great time.
Love the photo but where are YOU?
Mel