It's Always Oktoberfest In This Germany

Saturday night the kids went off to their dinner in the pavilion of Mexico here in Epcot, and Bruce and I went to enjoy a great meal at the Biergarten Restaurant in Germany.  This is an awesome place to eat.  It isn't just because the food is so good....which it is....but they have a stage show while you enjoy your meal.  It isn't a long show but probably lasts about 25 minutes.  They do this every hour during the lunch and dinner seatings.

The pavilion in Germany, like all the others, is meticulous in details.  It is done in the traditional old-style German architecture you may see in a typical Bavarian town.  All the buildings surround a plaza area.

They have the usual assortment of shops featuring German made goods....cuckoo clocks, limited edition beer steins, glassware, Hummel figurines, a toy shop, and a huge Christmas shop with loads of beautiful ornaments and decorations.  

In the morning when the pavilion first opens, some young ladies stand outdoors with their country's flag.    Toward the rear of the cobblestoned plaza lies the entrance to the Biergarten Restaurant--Oktoberfest. 

In the plaza there is a clock tower with boy and girl figures that come out on the hour and ring the bell.  There is also a large statue of St. George celebrating his victory over the dragon. 

At 6:00 pm it was time for our dinner reservations.  We were escorted to our seats in the Biergarten.  The dining room is made to look like an outdoor village setting for a German celebration of Oktoberfest.  Guests sit at long tables for 8.  We always get to sit by interesting folks when we come here and enjoy some conversation with "new friends." 

The food here is served buffet style with "all you can enjoy" amounts.  They have roast chicken, spaetzle, sauerbraten, variety of wursts and sausages, salads, breads and desserts galore.  You can also order a wide variety of German beer and they come in huge glass steins.  We stuck to iced tea, as usual.  After we served ourselves at the generous buffet table, we sat down to enjoy our first course and the show. 

A four-piece oompah band came on stage to play and sing for the guests.  It is lively, happy entertainment suitable for the whole family.  The men wear traditional lederhosen and are really fantastic.  They play a few songs and then encourage diners to come on stage to dance while they play.  Zoey wanted to dance last June when we were here so I went out with her.  This time....we chose to sit and watch.  One musician came out on the floor to do some bell ringing and then 2 of them played these large horns to the delight of the crowd.  The final dance is the chicken dance and that really brings the people out to the dance floor to dance and play.

We had a great meal and a lot of fun, too.  Once finished, we wandered outdoors to check out the large model railroad that has been set up at the edge of the pavilion grounds.  It is quite something to see the work that went into this set-up.  After that great big meal we really needed to walk around the showcase lagoon and through the Future World of Epcot for a while.  The sun had gone down and the heat of the day was over.  It was a nice, cool walk.  Lots of people....too many people milling about....but a nice walk.  It was a good day.

Until next time.....so long for now!