So, we had an awesome time in Germany, the people were amazing and we saw some really beautiful countryside and historic sights. And of course, we drank liters and liters of beer and ate some kick ass food (although I think I need a break for a bit before I have more sausage or schnitzel. Day 1 / 2 – We flew out of Austin around mid-day to Houston where we met up with our friends and took the overnight flight to Munich. United had plenty of options for movies, free beer and wine and the food was surprisingly decent for airline food. After landing around 7:30 we made the journey thru customs and found the train to take into the city. I didn’t realize the airport was so far out but it was efficient. I did put my huge suitcase in the racks above and we got a laugh out of the fact that it could have flown off and probably taken someone out (maybe we were a bid delirious by then. But anyways, got to Hilton Munich City and checked our bags as it was way to early to check in. So, at this point we decided to power thru and start walking…eventually we ended up in the Schneider Brauhaus for some food and our first official beers in Germany. Next, we walked to Oktoberfest to get a lay of the land, we bounced around a few tents, had a few more beers, I think we spent some time in the outside area of the Schottenhamel tent. Eventually we walked back to the hotel late that afternoon. In all we got a good 6 miles in which kept us awake, decent bed time for a full day at Oktoberfest. Day 3 – This time we took the train to the festival, all dressed up in our official outfits, and settled in early at the Hofbräuhaus tent. We found some good open seating and proceeded to drink like idiots for several hours. It was great atmosphere and it was fun to see people stand up on the table to down their beers knowing they were gonna get thrown out. Our seating area became reserved at some point that afternoon and the kicked us all out. At that point we were all pretty blitzed so we walked around a bit and then headed back. Day 4 – Got on the road early for Stuttgart and Dachau along the way. I had a friend to arranged for us a private tour with a local so that was really cool. Needless to say, we were glad we did it but definitely need a drink afterwards. Then on to Stuttgart where we settled in at Jaz Hotel (maybe a bit to trendy for me, and the weird strobe lights in the elevator got old pretty quick). But a nice hotel with a good view of the city. Day 5 – Early start and hit the Mercedes Benz museum which we were all really impressed with. I also had to check out the VfB Stuttgart stadium and shop nearby to pick up a beer mug. After that we headed to Cannstatter Volksfest, very similar look to Oktoberfest. After some walking around, we had a couple beers standing at the Dinkelacker tent and later wandered and managed to find some seats at the Furstenberg tent. The vibe was way more party atmosphere in my opinion than Munich. Pretty much everyone was standing on tables and security didn’t care, plus there was smoking inside which got a bit thick later on. We did see a dude take a header from his seat bench and get wedged between two tables….he did get escorted out. I think we left around 10p bloated and shit faced, somehow we made the right train back to our hotel. Day 6 – Slept in a bit then checked out and made our way back to Bavaria. We stayed in a little town called Ettal, with a cool abbey where the monks brew beer (we had a lot of it, the dunkel was especially tasty. After checking in we drove to Parnach Gorge which was kick ass. We took a different way back which turned into a bit of a longer hike then we’d planned but it all worked out. We then spent some time in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and had a drink and a snack at the base of the ski jump at the Olympic Stadium. Before that day I had no clue the 1936 Winter Olympics were held here and kicked off by that fucker Hitler. Still some cool unplanned history. It was here I tried colabier (yep it’s wheat beer and cola), wheat beer and cola. I mainly tried it out of curiosity but god damn was it tasty and that became the first of several more that I had. Day 7 – We took the drive to Neuschwanstein Castle and did the tour, got some great pics for the bridge and it’s a worthwhile tour. We got back to Ettal that afternoon and had a chill rest of the day. Day 8 – Took in some more sights in the area including another of Ludwig’s castles, Linderhof Palace. Not quite as impressive as Neuschwanstein but still we thought it was worth it. We also went to the ski resort at Kolbensattel Oberammerau, I nice chair lift up to the top for a beer and some pictures, then a ride back down on the alpine coaster which we all enjoyed as a nice adrenaline rush. Day 9 – Early start for our drive to Salzburg. We went to the Eagles Nest (Kehlsteinhaus) along the way and did the bus ride up. Not really a lot to see as it’s a privately owned but the views are spectacular and it’s still a cool piece of history. Lunch and beer at the café up top then back down. Made our way to Salzburg where we checked into a really nice Airbnb. We then walked around the old town for a bit and took in the view with a beer at Stiegkeller overlooking the old town. After a quick change we headed to dinner at PitterKeller. Another great meal and the veal schnitzel was out of this world (props to Spankytoes). Day 10 – On the way out of Salzburg we checked out the Red Bull Hangar, not too bad for a free exhibit, but it’s mainly just a big advertisement for Red Bull. Then back on the road to Munich, we got the bags dropped off at the hotel in Freising (outskirts near the airport) and then drove into town to drop the car off at the Hilton. We thought about one last visit to Oktoberfest for the last day, but we figured it would be nuts. Instead we went to the actual Hofbräuhaus beer hall. It was busy but not bad and the prices and food were cheaper and more options then the tent. I finally had a ½ roast chicken and another couple liters of beer. Day 11 – Back to reality, the Munich airport was nuts and took forever, but we made it just in time for boarding and the long ass flight back to IAH and then a short hop back home to Austin. It was a kick ass trip that I’d love to do again someday. I think we could have maybe skipped either Stuttgart or Salzburg and spent an extra day or two in Munich or up in the alps. The driving was a bit much and had us rushing a bit the last few days. Either way thanks for the tips and feel free to comment. Prost!