“It was a September evening and all the gaps and clearings in the woods were brimmed up with ruby sunset light. Here and there the lane was splashed with it, but for the most part it was already quite shadowy beneath the maples, and the spaces under the firs were filled with a clear violet dusk like airy wine.”
—Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Hello from the edge of summer!
The sun shines bright and orange during the day, but more often now cool breezes whisper through the leaves. We sleep with the windows wide open, welcoming in the chill like an lost-long friend. September is upon us.
Which meeeeeans… Oktoberfest is right around the corner!
Oktoberfest, as you probably already know, is a giant beer festival and traveling carnival that is held in Munich every — wait for it — September. (It goes on for three weeks, so it does end the first week of October!) It’s estimated that over 7 million visitors come to Munich for this celebration each year. This year, my lovely high school friend AND cousin will be two of those visitors! Woohoo!!!
What are dirndls?
According to the Oktoberfest website, in the 19th century, the Dirndl was worn by working women to clean, work in the stables, and work in the fields. That changed in 1930, when city women traveled to the mountains and took a liking to the “look” of the maids. And, well, here we are today! Locals and tourists alike don their lederhosen and dirndls for Oktoberfest.
So, caught in that awkward space between tourist and local, one thing was for sure — I needed a dirndl!
Cue: my friend Bianca to the rescue. She took me shopping and was a huge help with all the different parts, sizes, colors, and… well… just about everything.
(Not shown the video: me getting dreadfully stuck while trying on the first dirndl because the apron was pinned on, and seriously debating running into the store half-naked to find Bianca. Just imagine a person trying to escape a straight jacket except the straight jacket is a very gorgeous — and pricey — corseted dress. Thankfully, I figured it out on my own after about 3 panicked minutes.)
Enjoy! 💛
PS — As you can probably tell from the quote at the start, I’m still very much obsessed with Anne of Green Gables after my recent read. I’m in my Anne era, y’all!
I’ve been taking “Anne Shirley” walks lately… which means going for a walk with nothing but wonder for the world around me. Phone down, eyes up. It’s so easy to daydream in a world as beautiful as this.
Here are some pictures I snapped, because I’m not quite as talented as L. M. Montgomery and able to put these views into words that make your soul sing:
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