Loving Bavarian life

Lederhosen, dirndl dresses, oom-pa-pa music, beer maids laden with giant frothy mugs: until last night I thought it was all nothing but old-time German tradition re-enacted for tourists. But the local folk festival (one of the year's highlights, according to Regina and her friends) proved that Bavarian tradition is more than a thing of the past - it's still alive and kicking, even amongst the young, American-music-and-movie-fed generation of Bavarians. We spent last night eating roasted chicken and giant pretzels, drinking beer and linking arms with young Bavarians as they stood on benches and belted out songs. (The lederhosen-clad band even donned sombreros at one point and sang Feliz Navidad!) And we never ran into another American (or Japanese) tourist the whole night. There's nothing quite like hanging out with locals to make you feel like you're truly experiencing a culture.

Regina and her family have been wonderful hosts and she's introduced us to lots of her friends who remind each other "In English, please" when we're around so that we feel included. We're planning to catch a train heading north tomorrow, but it will be hard to leave Regina and all our new Bavarian friends.

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

1) Audrey and Stephanie (a friend of Regina) at the festival

2) Regina (doesn't she look like Snow White?) and her friend Gecko (coolest guy ever)

3) Traditionally-dressed Bavarians standing on benches and clapping along to the live band music

4) A photo from earlier this week at a fair in a nearby town.

5) Hadde, Stephanie, Andreas (Regina's boyfriend), Regina and Audrey at a bistro after an evening of bowling on Tuesday.