Welcome to party central! This city is chock full of people in traditional Bavarian costume (I saw one guy in lederhosen and a Yankees cap…huh), not all of whom were headed for Oktoberfest — even the front desk clerks at the hotel were done up in traditional garb. It's a very festive atmosphere.

Free beer certainly helps with the party mood. We met our tour group for dinner and drinks at a local beer hall, where we each got a complimentary stein (those things are a full litre — how do the servers carry 10 of them at a time?!?) Truth be told, I had wine instead (gasp), but I did try Chris's beer, so duty done.

The real fun starts tomorrow. Stay tuned…