For example, check out the world-famous Hofbräuhaus (sure, it’s touristy, but you’ll still spot Bavarians in folk costume who come in from the boonies to lift a few with their Freunden) and the Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower, left), in a park called the Englischer Garten (English Garden)-there actually is a big ol’ wood tower there, kinda-sorta pagoda-ish, where the oompah band serenades the drinkers. This is a party-hearty town, too, and the fun starts even before noon at the many, many, many beer gardens and halls. But sometimes, that’s just the way the pretzel crumbles. I’m just sorry that on my last trip I never made it to the potato museum, and that they recently put a lid on the chamberpot museum after its owner died under mysterious circumstances. The old town’s Brothers Grimm architecture, oom-pah-pah beer halls and of course the huge, famous glockenspiel clock in the old town hall (right) still charm the tourists, and apart from a plethora of churches and palaces, there are also some super museums here two of the more recent additions are the very interesting Jüdisches Museum (Jewish museum), next to the handsome newish synagogue, and BMW World, a slick, interactive ode to one of Bavaria’s most famous exports. Now, a quarter century later, when it comes to gay travel, Munich rocks - and has even turned downright progressive (the Social Democrats have long run city hall, currently along with the Greens and the Pink List - a queer party, would you believe it?), as well as jam-packed with stuff to do both day and night.
Now, I'm something of a fan of European pop, and an oldie favorite is a 1979 tune from Spain's Miguel Bosé called Noche Blanca en Munich (White Night in Munich), essentially recounting a gay-bar pickup. On a tour of the nearby town of Freising, the guide earnestly assured me that “most Bavarians are very Catholic, and revere the Virgin Mary,” just before rattling off the Freising-related history of Benny Rats-er, Pope Benedict XVI-who was bishop here for a bunch of years (though all is not lost-in the restaurant bathroom in the tiny lakeside town of Prien I did come across a condom machine next to another that sold “sex gags” at 2€ a pop).Ī Quaint Yet Progressive, Gay-Friendly Island in Bavaria It’s funny, too, because lederhosen-wearing Bavarian men may've been the original leather daddies, but Bavaria, the south German region of which this city's the capital, is a notoriously conservative bit of business run by right-wing Christian Democrats who make the country’s prime minister of their same party, Angela Merkel, look like Hanoi Jane. And get this - Muc’s got the most singles of any German burg.
It's that time of year again - Oktoberfest (aka Wiesn) is right around the corner (September 22-October 7 next year it's 9/21-10/6)! But even if you don't make it for the world's biggest beer bash, Munich is still one of Europe's most attractive and fun cities, where autumn is lovely and even winter is a winner, especially during its world-famous Weihnachtsmarkt ( Christmas market) November 26 through December 24 - magical enough to get even a jaded Grinch like me grinning.