Germany

As we were planning all of the stops on our trip, we realized we’d be right by Germany during Oktoberfest. So making a pit stop in Munich after Switzerland was a must. Turns out, though, a lot of other people wanted to go to Oktoberfest too. Every hotel we searched had been booked for months, and the few left were going for insane prices. We decided that staying in Munich was a no-go and we moved on to plan B.

Augsburg

We looked for a city nearby that would be an easy commute into Munich, and decided on Augsburg. We didn’t know much about it, but it ended up being a pretty solid spot. The city had a small-town, historic feel, which let us see a different side of Germany.

It was charming and easy to explore on foot. We spent a couple of days wandering around, trying local spots, and eating a lot of schnitzel. Our favorite of the trip ended up being at Drei Königinnen.

Augsburg is home to the world’s oldest housing complex still in operation, the Fuggerei. It opened in 1521 and hasn’t raised rent for the tenants in over 500 years. That means these people are paying 0.88 euros… annually. For tourists, though, it was 16 euros for us to visit. That is basically 18 years of rent to walk down a few small streets. We decided to skip it, but still a cool bit of history.

Augsburg turned out to be just what we needed. We wouldn’t tell anyone to fly all the way from the U.S. just to visit, but if you’re in Munich, it’s a nice day trip or overnight stop to see a slower side of the country.

Oktoberfest

During our seven days in Germany, we went to Munich three times. The main draw was, of course, Oktoberfest, but we also wanted to explore the city a bit too. Kaitlyn hates beer, so I split up the day a little so she wouldn't have to suffer the whole time.

We didn’t know exactly what to expect from Oktoberfest, but it turned out to be just as awesome as we hoped it would be. It had the big tents and the beer, like you'd think, but it had a lot more than that too. It honestly reminded us of the Texas State Fair, with games, carnival rides, food, and great people watching. The biggest difference was they don't have the same urge we do to deep fry everything.

The tents are just as massive and as iconic. Each one has its own design and is packed with people dressed up, drinking beer, and singing/shouting along with the bands. The bands were great, and depending on the tent, bands played everything from the classic Bavarian hits to Sweet Home Alabama. We spent a lot of time hopping around different ones. Our favorite of the big ones was the Hacker-Pschorr tent. We ended up next to a group of Irish guys here, which is basically best case scenario when it comes to drinking partners in Europe.

In the end, we liked the smaller tents best. It was easier to find a seat, had more of a local vibe, and most importantly... they had some non-beer options so Kaitlyn could finally enjoy something too.

If we could do it again, we would definitely rent the lederhosen and dirndl. You really stand out without them. We wanted to join in but, by the time we tried, all the rentals were booked up. Buying them wasn’t a great option either, since we didn’t want to carry them around with us for the next eight months. Still, Oktoberfest was everything we hoped for and then some. We hope to come back soon with friends and family.

Salzburg

Our original travel plan was to head to Budapest after Munich, but we realized our train would pass through Salzburg, a place Kaitlyn had been to previously and loved. So we made a last-minute tweak and added a one-night layover there.

Salzburg is a beautiful, historic town and the setting for The Sound of Music. We found the movie online and rewatched it to really get into the spirit.

Unfortunately, the weather was not great during our time here. It rained off and on most of the time, which was a bummer, but we simply remembered our favorites things and we didn’t feel so bad. In just 24 hours, we were able to hit all the main filming spots, eat a warm Austrian meal, try some pine-cone schnapps, and stroll through the old town. Before we knew it, it was so long, farewell, auf wiederseh’n, goodnight (okay, I’m done). The day went by fast, but it was a perfect detour and we were glad we made the last-minute pivot.

Also, unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures because of the rain, but trust us it really was beautiful.

Now we’re on to Budapest!