Having launched ourselves into the current, we floated effortlessly north towards Munich along the Isar, past tall trees perched atop gravelly sandbanks. With few clouds to disturb the calm bright blue sky, it was a warm day, and the banks were lined periodically with clusters of naked sunbathers of all sizes, shapes and ages. We also passed a number of clothed groups too: people wearing clothes to protect themselves from being seen by other people while exposing as much of their body as otherwise possible to the strong sunshine, and as fashion would allow. Main stream bathing fashion had changed a lot during the 20th century, from wrist- to ankle- full body coverage, to skimpy bikinis and topless bum-splitting thongs. Still, many people somehow hang on grimly to the last vestige of inane modesty by wrapping clothing around their genitalia. This clothing can of course be used to either hide behind or to attract attention, depending on circumstance and personality. We were all naked in our boats, and happy about it, enjoying our slow drift along the pleasant and easy-going river Isar as it wended it's way towards the busy city ahead.

We recieved many smiles and waves from various people during the day. From the small family we beached alongside, with their dog and two young boys gathering pebbles on the shore. From several friendly boats manned by teenagers, which scooted past us at a faster rate than we could manage. From the naked couple who passed us in their own boat, doing their own thing - it was encouraging to see someone else getting out there and being comfortable with themselves and the world - apparently they'd been floating down the Isar naked for the last twenty years. A smile and a light laugh from the small group of young children, and their parents, who walked past us twice to enjoy a thrilling ride, atop their lilos, down the short stretch of Isar where they were sunbathing.

Near the end of our trip we met a young couple, with a friend, who asked me as I passed them to get to shore, how to get the boats around the next obstacle which was the steep weir ahead. Previously Alex and I had walked around carrying the boat in a portage, but this time there was more water and it looked as though it might be possible to throw our boats down the 3 metre vertical drop into the deep water of the flooded pool just in front of us, and then to scoot around to the river again. Alex and Tania arrived, and we threw our boats in succesfully, and then the lads threw their boat in, too. The girl now pushed her boyfriend (a little unexpectedly) into the cool water below, and the other lad followed. Encouraged from the calls from the pool below, she hesitated to follow because of her clothing, so I offered to help. She gave me her glasses, pulled of her t-shirt, and stood there in her bikini, not looking very keen on the jump, but now she had no excuse, and she jumped too, into the waiting arms of her boyfriend in the water. They were clearly enjoying themselves. They thanked me as I returned their stuff, and we all rejoined the main river, setting off again amidst the loosely scattered group of clothed and naked sunbathers and swimmers, old and young, male and female, fit and fat - all the usual human mix.

During the day, Michi's luck held, just. His oars broke twice, and he had to pump air into his boat as he was floating along, but he seemed happy enough otherwise. We likened Peter's boat to some kind of ice-braker, it's front end was so big and he looked kind of dwarfed by it, sitting alone at one end. While I took Tania for the first half of the day, Alex's solid fishing boat was able to let her stretch out somewhat more comfortably, so I soon lost her ever-jovial company to the more suitable and comfortable platform. We floated on and, after a negotiating a few sunken rocks, and the odd weir, passed the crowded Thalkirchener bridge, near the zoo, and arrived at the Flaucher, a famous local watering hole and Barbeque spot for the more static Munich nudist population. Here we collapsed our boats and carried everything across the gravel banks, past the many pedestrians on the bridge just above us, and settled down to await Alex's BBQ stuff. Ralf and Ulla, who had been unable to make the tour, but were also enthusiastic nacktivists , joined us for the BBQ, and it was pleasant to sit in this friendly group for a while, naked and clothed together, on the banks of the Isar, chilling out. It had been a fine day, which some people were to extend tomorrow by going on another of Alex's naked bike tours, further north along the Isar this time. I was unable to make that, having a family to escort to a textile lake the following day, which I was also going to enjoy, but I wished them all the best and that I looked forward to hearing about their trip. Maybe next time you might join one of our naked tours, walking in the Bavarian Alps , cycling through local forests and woods or even just coasting along a quiet river somewhere ?-)