Oktoberfest 2011 in Leavenworth, WA

As a spur of the moment idea... we decided to travel to a small Bavarian village stuck in the mountains of WA.  Leavenworth, WA is well known for its tourist attractions - especially its huge Oktoberfest every fall. 

We left on Saturday morning and hit sunny, gorgeous skies by the time we got to the mountains.   The pictures do not capture how huge and breathtaking these mountains are... There was still some snow on the high peaks.  We crossed Stephen's Pass on the way there...and came back via Snoqualmie Pass.

Our tickets allowed our entry into a large festival area...complete with street vendors and four live music/food venues.  Connor got to work on trying the German lagers... Marie even tried a few!  We felt a little out of place... EVERYONE seemed to have on their German attire.  If we go again, we will also get into costume.

We also walked all over the little town and checked out all of their shops. 

We walked along the Wenatchee River and saw a few spawning salmon... There were a few anglers wetting their flies. Connor wanted to join in!

For dinner, we splurged at a nicer restaurant in town... We shared a sampler of traditional Bavarian salads to start (shredded carrot salad, potato/bacon salad, slaw, greens). 

And decided to share one starter (Escargot with wild mushroom sauce stuffed in fresh bread) and one entree (pork schnitzel and spaetzel).  Then, an apple strudel with vanilla ice cream for dessert.  Everything was delicious.

After dinner, we went back to the festival.  People were dancing, singing, drinking, and having a great time. We had a few more beers before heading to our hotel for the evening.
It was a perfect trip... but we were glad to come home to our kitten cats.

Maybe next year some of our brewthers or brewisters will join us on our Bavarian getaway? Until then... pfüad di!