As we reached the outskirts of Munich, it was getting late in the afternoon and therefore time to seek an exit from the autobahn as advised when receiving delivery of our Mercedes Benz sedan.
We soon approached one and took a country road in an attempt to spot the first town connected by it. We saw one nearby and decided to try our luck.
A tall young lady was passing by where I stopped. Lavinia opened the window on her side and told her, " We are travellers and looking for a hotel to stay overnight."
"There is one just a couple of blocks away" she replied in clearly pronounced English language. "Take a turn to the right and you will see it."
She was very helpful and gave us the name of the hotel called "Post", and expressed her willingness to provide any other information.
After thanking her, we followed the instructions and reached a nice looking two-storey building.
The receptionist gave us a warm welcome. After a brief introduction and enquiring about whether we needed accommodation to stay there, she took us to a large room that looked clean to perfection. The building was a monastery that had housed monks many years ago.
The room had three single beds, and ample space to walk around. The ceiling was unusually high and the walls were painted gleamingly white.
Neatly displayed large portraits of the dynasty that had owned the building in recent years were overpowering.
There was no restaurant within the residential premises, but we were told about the one nearby that would provide dinner choices of our liking.
As it was Saturday evening, we were advised to go their early.
After stretching a little over the comfortable beds, followed by a quick wash, we walked to the designated place well ahead of any other customer.
However, the scene changed suddenly while I was still sipping beer served with our meals.
A large group of young couples, all similarly and artistically dressed, arrived. They were quick in occupying all the empty seats, and immediately started dancing in the area reserved for this purpose.
The place soon took the appearance of festive entertainment and gala performance, which went on for many hours.
We soon realized that we were among Bavarians, known to be folksy and egalitarian.
They take pride in their traditions and wear traditional costumes on special occasions that present opportunity to enjoy century-old folk music.
Their sociability can be experienced at their annual Oktoberfest, ready to be celebrated soon.
Just sitting on the side and watching the group dance in perfect harmony was most enjoyable.
It was as if we were being treated to a miniature preview of the world-famous festival.
