Dandelion

Here's the view at Oktoberfest looking up form the carousel. From this vantage point, the little moving horses of the carousel seem overwhelmingly safe, while this contraption is one of the festivals highest points. I took pictures of this same ride on day 5 or so of Oktoberfest, and most of the seats were empty. Most people say that this was a down year for Oktoberfest, with attendance significantly down from years past because of the threat of terrorism and a down economy kept people from travelling. I will try to find some real stats from the local news. But having been at the world's biggest beer garden on the final days, I'm not sure how they could have packed any additional people into the Wiesn grounds. So perhaps in the end, it was just a bit less hairy and crazy than in previous years.