Oktoberfest

During our visit to Munich, we visited Oktoberfest a few times during the middle of the week and the middle of the day. On one occassion, I split forces with Dan and took Megan for just a few hours of going on rides. The expansiveness of the fairgrounds is one thing, but the size of the beer halls is just unbelievable.

Some pictures from our experiences follow.

Huge ferris wheel and view from the top:

(Note: I realize in these first pictures, it looks like no one is at the festival. These were taken on a Tuesday morning around 11am. It was crowded just a few hours later that day. When we visited again later in the week around 6pm, the lanes were crowded and lines had already formed to get inside the beer halls. When Dan and Aaron went back the last Saturday evening of Oktoberfest, it took them about 1-hour to make it in to a beer hall.)

Glimpse of the beer halls: (note: These are not the same beer hall. Each hall has a different theme and speciality.)

Beer - Oktoberfest Sized (note: groups reserve the tables up to 1-year in advance. On this day, all tables were reserved, but we were there a bit before the reservation block and were able to enjoy as long as we left in time. The kids grooved on the largest pretzel ever and gummy bears):

Family Day: Mom and Megan cut loose one day and enjoyed the rides. At some point, Megan decided she doesn't like roller coasters. I finally coaxed her into going on the "log ride." Afterwards, she kept asking why I had "tricked her" into going on it. To Dan, she couldn't stop talking about how much fun the ride was. Funny kid.

Oh, and for the experts in German pastries out there: Yes, I realized post-purchase that the item she's eating had a rum-flavored custard filling. And, yes, the custart was removed prior to consumption. =)