Bier Hall in Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a town in the German Alps, just north of the border with Austria. Of all the places we had booked for accommodation, Gasthof Fraundorfer in Garmisch-Partenkirchen was the only one that I talked about and really looked forward to. (For most of the trip, I decided it would be best to arrive without expectations.) Why was Gasthof Fraundorfer so special? Check out their site and you'll see! My digifriend ColoradoBobs put me onto this place and the thought of staying in a German bier hall/guesthouse was irresistible, so I booked in for two nights... what a shame it was when I realized, just a week before our planned arrival, that I booked for the 5th and 6th of June while we were actually staying on the 5th and 6th of July*! Thankfully, they managed to squeeze us in for one night. Ordinarily they would have been able to find room for two nights, but 30,000 bikers were due to arrive in town the following day. Many of these bikers were already there, and we enjoyed their company that night of dinner, drinks, singing and laughing.

Seating is in the Bavarian tradition: small groups are combined to fill a bigger table. Dana and I were seated with two other American couples - we think they planned that - with whom we became friends for the night. As the music continued and the excellent beer flowed (mostly fresh Paulaner), the slap dancing began along with yodeling and meeting some folks at other tables. Dana and I were among the last to leave, along with our newly acquired Russian and German buddies.

If you are ever in the area, plan a trip to . Try a bierlikore (warm beer mixed with a spot of liquor, topped with whipped cream and served in a shot glass on a ski) eat as much as you can fit in your stomach, sing along and stay in one of the cozy rooms just upstairs.

*This turned out to be the only mistake made in my planning of the 44 night trip... could have been worse! OK, there was the near mistake in Florence, when I thought we were staying one less night in our hotel, and dropped train ticket the next day, but it all worked out in the end!

Get your fix of slap-dancing photos here.