Yesterday we went to an Abu Dhabi Oktoberfest, which was held at the One to One Hotel. The hotel itself is really nice and probably only about 2 miles from our new apartment. (It’s always good to take note of the nearby hotels because they are the only places that serve booze!)
The event itself was held in a huge tent lined with large tables, a dance floor and several bars. There was outdoor seating as well, which was really nice once the sun set and it got cooler. The crowd was a mix of expats (or, more specifically, as our waiter at dinner later that night said, “white skinned people”) that covered mostly England, Ireland & the U.S.
After a few Hofbräu beverages (which were excellent btw), it was time for the Oompah band – a trio that flew in from Munich the day before. The band’s leader spoke in German so we had no idea what he was saying – only that he was very enthusiastic about being there and the songs they were about to play. About 45 minutes into the set, they broke into “Country Roads”, which prompted a laugh from both of us. Here we are – in the Middle East, listening to a German band who doesn’t speak English and they play a song about West Virginia. It was very surreal. Surreal, but fun.
UPDATE: I forgot to add one perk of the Oktoberfest. So every time we got a beer, they gave us a coaster. By day’s end, we had amassed quite the stack of coasters, which we threw in Meg’s purse. Buy coasters for the new apartment? Check!