Garmisch has grown so much it's no longer the cool little village...I hardly recognized it. Go further into the hills to Mittenwald. Very nice little town with plenty of hiking ops.
Oktoberfest - Heading there for the first time, a friend called me from California to say he and his GF were flying into Munich the next day, and told me to get rooms. A tall order. Could only snag a penthouse at considerable expense, 3 night minimum. Typical first timer story - shit faced by early afternoon, but made a strong, possibly chemically induced comeback. Was disappointed at the early last call, so on the way back to the penthouse stopped at a bar and drank several rounds of apple schnapps, which has little resemblance to the girly stuff available here. Woke up the next day so poisoned from drink, we walked on the remaining two nights in the room, took the train up to Garmisch, checked into a spa and spent the next 24 hours steaming the poisons out...