Beers and Brauts in Helen GA.

This weekend, Boo and I ventured down to Helen GA for some Oktoberfest fun! We had rented one of Kellye's cabins (the True Love to be exact) and were zooming down I-85 after work on Friday. Boo has never been to this little German Alpine Mountain village like town, so I thought he would enjoy the ride thru town before getting up to the cabin. I've been a couple of times, in fact, when I finished my last stretch of the GA Appalachian Trail, we has my congratulatory lunch here. It's the cutest little town. If you ever get a chance to visit, it's worth the trip, just to suspend your imagination and really get in to the spirit of the little "Heidi" German town.

As I drive thru Helen, we see lots of people still out and about enjoying some steins of beer, even boots of beers, and walking from tavern to bar. Boo and I decide to check into the cabin, then come back down for some night time fun. So we roll up the mountain and I start to remember where we were, I had been to Kellye's cabins before, but couldn't tell you have to get there. We pull into the check in area, grab our keys, and follow the winding gravel road up into the heavily wooded mountain. Boo liked how secluded it felt being deep into the woods. I was dark when we pulled down the long driveway. We fumbled with the door and finally spilled into the cabin and flipped on the lights. It was a cute, cozy, comfy living room with a fireplace, to the left was an orderly kitchen with a table. I put our water and sodas inside the fridge while Boo lugged our luggage up the stairs to the bedroom loft area. He was surprised and looking forward, to hopping into the big pink heart shaped hot tub that was next to the comfy bed. After we unpacked and put on some warm clothes, (it was chilly up in the mountains!), we headed back down to the little town of Helen to join in the festivities.

Boo walked around with eyes wide open, taking it all in. We walked up and down the entire little town on both sides, just so Boo could get a good feel of the town. Finally we check out Viele Margaritas (yes, a Mexican bar in this little German town), it was hopping! Lots of people enjoying some beer. We decide it's not our scene (frat guy scene or as Boo calls it, "a sausage fest") and move up towards the village area. We pass by the chocolate shop and you KNOW I had sto stop in. Boo and I drool at all the yummy confections and I decide on 2 chocolate covered cherries. The counter lady, tells me to come back tomorrow, where they will actually be making treats in the window front, so we agree we will! We walk along and cross the street over to the Old Heidelberg Tavern. There's some fun stuff happening in that little court yard, so we people watch for a bit and decide to call it a night. It's around 11pm and we've been up since 5am that morning, so we head back up the mountain to our little retreat in the woods.

After a SUPER night's sleep,(we slept til 10am!)we finally rouse up, shower, and get ready to enjoy the days festivities! We pull out around 11:30am ready for some lunch. Boo drives up to the rental office and I check us in (since we got in late last night) and like she is reading my mind, the office clerk asks me if I need any recommendations for lunch! haha! I say yes, actually I do, and she whips out a map of the town, and tell us to go to The Old Bavarian Inn,it's supposed to have the most authentic German food. So with map in hand, I climb back into the car, share my new found info with Boo and whirl down the mountain for some Oktoberfest! We park in the same $5 lot as we did last night and float into the swarm of people that are out and about, already enjoying the day. We walk along the Chattahoochee river and right by the Troll Tavern, a cute restaurant/bar that's located just under the bridge. What a perfect name for a bar under a bridge! haha! Climbing the stairs, we walk across the bridge and see The Cafe International, that's along the river is happening! I mean, it has a DJ playing music (country music) and it's packed with people downing beers the size of Texas. We decide to cross the street right in front of Paul's Steak house, (last night, this place was busy with lots of couples slow dancing.)and continue on looking for our lunch spot. We find the little shoe shop, and see this adorable alley way and finally find The Old Bavarian Inn! It's tucked away in the middle of the alley. We put in our names and are told we have a 20 minute wait. So we continue walking along the alley way looking into little shops until our number is called.

I wanted to sit downstairs to watch and hear the silly lederhosen wearing accordion player, but our table was upstairs. Our waiter suggests a beer called Spaten,imported from Munich. Boo really liked it, I thought it was OK. For the next round, Boo got another Spaten and I got an AugustinerBrau. I think I just liked saying it haha! In my very best German accent, August-stiner-BRA! haha! I must of been feeling the Spaten b/c when the Augustinerbrau came out I SWEAR the label looked like it had the current POPE on it! NO JOKE. I asked the waiter and waitress who was dressed up like a St. Pauly's girl, if the guy on my beer bottle looked like the Pope, the dude had no clue who he was, and the waitress said that the current Pope is actually from Germany, so it could be possible. Boo was mortified, he just shook his head told me that there was no way the leader of the Catholic church would pose on a beer bottle and laughed at me. Oops... haha! I called it Pope beer the rest of the day :) It went down pretty good too. So the food comes, I had ordered Knockwurst with German potato salad and red cabbage. Boo had something similar. I have to say.... The Germans are certainly not known for their food. So carby! I felt like I was eating a Nathans hot dog. I couldn't stomach the pickled red cabbage, but I did like the vinegary potato salad.

As we tumble out of the Old Bavarian Inn, I notice a sign that tells us to come back for happy hour, where there will be free appetizers and 1/2 price beer, so I make a mental note to come back to check it out. We wander around the town a bit more and find the candy store again. It took a while to pull Boo away from the candy store window, he liked watching the candy apples and carmel being made. I got a cute picture of him pressed up against the shop glass. We walked down to Hofer's Bakery, it's supposed to be an authentic German bakery,(let's hope their pastries are better than their food!) There's a live musician playing and a looooong line for the restaurant part of the bakery. Boo and I bypass the sausage case, and peer into the glass cases full of yummy looking treats. I told Boo, before we go home, we have to stop by Hofer's for some pretzels, strudel, Bavarian cream filled eclairs, and an apple fritter! YUM! The pastries ARE better than the foods! haha! We knew we had some serious beer to drink, so we walked out with nothing, but yummy anticipation of what's to come later on tonight :) We walk back down thru the town, duck in and out of shops and finally make it to the Festhalle, where they are having live music, 2 liter Steins of beer, dancing, food, and fun. So we pay our entrance fee (which was too much!) and get in line for the beer. Boo gets a commemorative 2010 Oktoberfest Beer Mug and I just get a beer :) We sit down along one of the long cafeteria tables and drink away the afternoon as we listen to some live bands. There are lots of people in lederhosen (which look so goofy to me. haha!) and ladies dressed like St. Pauly girls with boobs hanging out and all, and they all seem to be the only ones dancing. After a couple of hours and 3 beers later, a couple of photo ops with a giant beer mug and little gingerbread house cut out, Boo and I decide to stumble out of the Festhalle can head up to the happy hour back at Old Bavarian.

The next thing I remember, we were in a smoke filled, upstairs tiny little rustic bar that was packed like sardines! Boo and I stand with our beer and as soon as we see a couple leave, we grab their table and proceed to people watch. Our waitress is in authentic St. Pauly gear so I ask to take a picture of her, and she obliges, we meet an older guy with a military retired hat on that asks us if we see what he sees and have we met them yet. He then tilts his head over to two guys who looked like either Hispanic or of middle eastern descent. I tell him know, we haven't met them. He says, "well I'm going to take care of it." I look over at Boo and say, "did that really just happen?" OMG, seriously, yeah I saw the guys while I surveyed the room during my people watching. It never registered that they could be terrorist. To be honest, the only thing I thought about, was I bet these are a bunch of Atlanta people that came up to enjoy Oktoberfest. So it took me a bit back that this old geezer was still in Nam-mode and profiling at a happy hour. WOW... people are always surprising me. Oh, and the poor guys he went to take care of, left a few minutes later. We found out they were actually from Brazil. So sad, I forget I live in the South sometimes.... Anyways, we meet another couple of younger veterans (lots of vets at this bar) and I notice them cause they have this huge glass boot filled with beer! I snap pictures and we talk a bit. Boo notices this table full of older, (probably vets too) guys with tons of beer bottles on the table. I have to see it for myself, so I get up, a bit light headed from all the beer, and wander over. OMG that's alot of beer bottles! So I snap a picture of it.

After our beer at the happy hour, we decide to wander around a bit, sober up, grab dinner, and head back to the cabin for a nice relaxing evening in the hot tub. We walk around town and decide to head back to Hofer's. Before we get there, we enter a few other stores we didn't get a chance to duck into. Like a nice jewelry store where Boo buys me a ring :) the Christmas shop that has a giant Santa outside where I have to get my picture taken, oh! and a cut out of a boy and girl dressed in traditional German clothes where Boo and I mug for a picture. We finally make it down to Hofer's bakery and raid the pastry counter. haha! I load up on pretzels, and an apple fritter. Boo gets some Bavarian cream filled eclair a couple of other yummy treats. We both decide that we are done with German food for the rest of the year and opt for a delicious Italian panini and meatball sub from Blimpies. (We are easy, haha!) So a couple of hours later, we take our loot and head up to the cabin to call it a night. When we get there, Boo turns up the fireplace and we have dinner and dessert by fireside :) We relax a bit then head up to the hot tub to soak away the days dirt and grime.

The next morning, we wake up around 9am and pack up to head home. For breakfast we east the last of my panini and rest of the pastries. On the way out of Helen, we stop by Hofer's one last time so I can get my soft pretzel fix. I also buy some strudel and a Bavarian muffin for the ride home:) The ride was nice and easy going. I'm glad we were able to take a trip up to Helen, GA for some Oktoberfest fun. The stay at the cabin was perfect and we had alot of fun swilling beer, people watching, shop hopping, and hot tubing :) Til next time... GET OUTDOORS!!!