Viel Spass and a Sacrilege in the Hofbrauhaus!

One thing Trevor really wanted to do here in Munich was go to the Hofbrauhaus for a "pint".  So, we wandered - or rather were swept along with the throng - into this very famous beer hall late Sunday afternoon.  As it is a holiday weekend, the place was packed although it probably is most of the time anyway. So, the first challenge was to find a place to sit and that is much easier said than done.  We really lucked out when we spotted some seats at a table where there was a couple dressed in traditional Bavarian costumes and four other guys. We asked if we could join them and the minute they found out we were Canadians, we were "in"!  Next, of course, we had to order something to drink. Well, apparently there are no "pints" at the Hofbrauhaus so Trevor got his beer in a 1 litre mug that was almost too heavy to lift. How our tiny waitress who could not have weighed more than 115 pounds managed to carry six or seven at a time was lost on us. Not being serious beer drinkers, Mena and I decided to order Radlers, something like a shandy made with beer and Sprite or 7Up. We asked for a small one and, well, that wasn't on.  Max, our new Bavarian friend, explained to me something like you can't order a small drink after 5 pm. It's against the law. I think I probably misunderstood him but was perfectly clear was that we'd have to order 1 litre ones. I couldn't imagine drinking that much and neither could Mena so we committed the ultimate sacrilege in this famous beer hall:  we ordered glasses of wine. Man, we were guffawed at by the Germans sitting with us!  However, as the hours went by (yes, hours!), we had so much fun singing, drinking, and talking with our new found friends (Max, his wife Paula and some guys from Sauerland up north) that they seemed to forgive us.  All seemed to be in awe of Canada so we were very popular!  And, Trevor saved Mena's and my reputations by having a second beer, German size!  Max whose dream it is to visit Whistler was almost moved to tears when Trevor gave him his Whistler Brewing Co. cap.  It was, as they say, viel Spass (lots of fun) in the Hofbrauhaus!