Germania!

Today's Saturday excursion was a trip over to the Oktoberfest @ Mt. Angel. Seeing the Abbey parked on the top of the hill overlooking the valley reminded me of the Abbey in St. Meinrad. I guess it's not a fluke, the similarity between the two--they're the same order. We parked across the street from St. Mary's, a huge Catholic church that looked like something straight outta Ferdinand, and immediately saw a tons of people rocking really rad suspenders, lederhosen, a variety of hats, and of course the Oktoberfest girls rockin' aprons, vests, and dirndl dresses.
We strolled on over to the biergarten where the oldtimers were dancing to polka music accompanied by overpriced beer. Out in the streets, a peculiar cloud of the mingled smells of sauerkraut, grilled sausages and artery-clogging fried foods competed with the smell of strudels and other cinammon-y deserts. Sitting there watching father/daughter dances, reminded me of listening to my grandfather play the accordion on Friday nights when I was a kid.

Probably the only time since I've been in Oregon that I saw anything the reminded me of Southern Indiana...