OKTOBERFEST 2009!

The great Bavarian festival begins in the latter-half of September and actually extends only a few days into the month of Oktober. I did a hefty investigation of the festivities last year and so I didn't feel a particularly pressing need to spend a lot of time there this year. Also, last year our church was just down the street from the "Wiesn" ("Field") and so I was always passing by on my way to the U-bahn. This year that building is being renovated and so I was not usually in the area.

But with such a big and famous event going on in the city where I live, I felt like I had to at least take one evening and have a look...


The U-bahn was packed full as I got out and ascended to the Oktoberfest grounds...

Security was extra tight this year due to a terrorist threat after the nationwide elections only a week before. Most of Munich was actually a no-fly-zone for three weeks...

But inside, things seemed to be as festive and crazy as usual...

This isn't a great picture because I was trying to be sneaky. This was one of two fights that I saw on the same evening walking through the Wiesn...

I visited the under-renovation church to see how things were coming to find a large police van parked in front blockading the road...

A few days later was Melanie's baptism. It was also the last Saturday of Oktoberfest and several of the Young Single Adults wanted to pay a visit. So later that day after the baptism we met for lunch near the Wiesn and then strolled on over to find it totally packed (but all the more interesting!)...

Casey, Kay, Melanie, and Anna-Lena wanted to ride the Wilde Maus. So they did...

A few "Mädl's" all tuckered out...

Did I mention it was packed?

After the Wilde Maus some of us bought some cotton candy and we walked to the Bavaria Statue for a photo op...

The hill was packed with more tuckered-out Oktoberfesters...

It was a beautiful day and interesting as usual watching the crowds and being in the middle of all the festivities...

But as I mentioned in my last blog entry, the contrast to the peace and beauty of the morning baptism was striking. Oktoberfest is interesting and there are many fun things to do and see, many of them even wholesome and nice, but it does not edify.

So read Lehi's dream once more if you haven't for awhile and then take one more look at the "Great and Spacious Wiesn"...

(these two are photos from last year, but not much was different this year from this height.)

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