My complaints that the perception of „Octoberfest equals Bavaria“ is wrong of course deserves some evidence. OK – today I had the luck to experience it (again) and hopefully I can show you some convincing images.

Beginning of october is the time of the return of livestock from high alpine summer pastures vulgo ‚Almabtrieb‘, and this is also the time for some small local festivities like the ‚Almfest‘ (alpine pasture festival) that we had today at the ‚Harbachalm‘ (here on google maps). A local traditional band was playing, no electricity and therefore no PA, only traditional tunes from the band, but also participation from the audience in form of vocals or interspersed songs accompagnied on a solo accordeon. The weather was fine, temperatures moderately high, the beer of the local brewery cold, the backlight demanding only for the photographer… Only the sanitary facilities were sub-standard, as my daughters complained. The OO-sign points to the respective appliance, consisting basically of a deep hole…

To avoid the impression that Bavaria is some kind of backward-oriented, old fashioned, dyed-in-the-wool conservative country (no, I don’t want to talk about the elections again), just have scrutinizing look at the image to the right: You see that guy in leather pants (Lederhosen) with the Oakley – replica? –  over his eyes? No, Bavaria can be really modern, with Laptop und Lederhosen, as one of our former prime minister had put it. And still some of us don’t forget the really god things from the good old days.

Real brass music and vocals belong to those things, preferably in a small, manageable setting. You may see yourself, the gallery with all the images can be found here.