Ok, I always envisioned Oktoberfest as a place with pretty barmaids holding huge mugs of beer. Not all of the barmaids I saw were knock-outs, but every one I met was pleasant, efficient in spite of overwhelming crowds, and could carry amazing quantities of beer. And, as the two pictures above indicate, some were really cute.

On my way from Prague to Munich of 4 October I met three Americans, Miguel, Sadra and Charlotta, on the train from the border to Munich. We talked on the train but made no plans to meet at Oktoberfest. Amazingly, the next day, within an hour of entering a promising looking tent on Friday, Miguel wandered by and we staked out a place on a table. Within an hour of that Miguel found Sadra and Charlotta and brought them over. Of the four of us, you can see which two I preferred to photograph. Sadra and Charlotta were pretty, intelligent, friendly and attracted men like flies. They were both about twenty years younger than me, so I didn't make a fool of myself by making a pass at either of them. I just enjoyed their company and the show they provided. And I took pictures--if you look closely you'll see the young ladies are getting progressively more glassy eyed. I'm not faulting them, I was doing the same. We all had a great time and way too many beers. That's why we were there.

My first day of Oktoberfest started around noon and ended around sunset. I lost track of Miguel, Sadra and Charlotta late in the afternoon. Too bad, they were good people and fun company. Shortly after they moved on I could no longer deny that I had had quite enough and I walked back to Pension Armin.

I set out on noon the next day determined to last long enough to see Oktoberfest at night. I didn't make it, but got some more pictures. These are random shots of my second day of Oktoberfest. I saw more of the festival traveling alone, but must confess it wasn't as much fun as when I was with friends. Still, I had a good time and had great difficulty walking back to the pension. So I'll say the second day of Mardis Gras was also a success. Not nearly as wild as Mardis Gras, Estero Beach, Ann Marie and Mark's Halloween party or a Smack festival, but a good party nonetheless.

Feeling weak, tired and mentally fogged in I checked out of Pension Armin as late as I could on Sunday and headed back to Prague. I had a good time at Oktoberfest. In comparing the two days, there is no doubt the it is better with drinking buddies, even if they are ones you just met. Either with friends or solo, Oktoberfest is an experience worth having.