Oktoberfest was a blast. I'll have to post pictures later, cause I don't have time now. Got to see some of Austria, Switzerland, and of course Germany on the trip. Got to see Lake Constance and that was pretty cool. The beer is only served by the liter at Oktoberfest. We were at the celebration in Munich, which is the largest in the world. There were over 6 million people there this year. Apparently the average was only 1 liter of beer consumed per person, I consumed quite a bit more than that myself!
Speaking of beer, I've been making homebrew with a couple friends from work. It's turned out surprisingly well! One of the fun things to do this time of year (here) is to go into the mountains to look for mushrooms. (Yes, the kind you cook with). Apparently there are several types that grow right now that are considered 'delicasies' so people go into the mountains to find some. After you pick them (if you aren't an afficianado that can easily recognize the 'right' kinds) you can take them to the pharmacie and they can confirm for you. I'm told though that they aren't really sure and just tell you not to eat them everytime to avoid liability (or maybe they take them home for themselves!).
I purged the air from my radiators last week. That was a new experience. There was a note on the front door saying that we were responsible for doing it, and responsible for the possible damage that may occur if we don't do it. It started to get cold two days ago, but I still had no warmth from my radiators (there are 7 in my apartment). It's centrally controlled and I had all my valves open, so I was beginning to wonder how cold it would get before they started. Then last night, at last, warmth! It got down to about 40 F before they kicked them on. I woke up to a pleasant surprise. Apparently the hot water pipes for the radiators un under my marble floor in the hallway, so the floor is nice and warm in the morning even on cold days!! Also, the fog and rain that was here all weekend lifted yesterday, and revealed that all of the mountain tops are now snow covered! Ski season isn't supposed to start till next month, but I've already seen people hauling around their snowboards.
That's all I have time for now, but I'll try to post those pictures soon!