There aren't that many gaps in our 700-post history, thanks to the tireless terriering and pithy posting of Christy Leonardo, but Anglofritz does seem to lack adequate nose to the scent and ear to the wind reporting from the streets of Germany's most German city, Munich. Let's stick our thumb into that hole, and hope that this will do until the fire engines arrive and the ocean of ignorance can be kept at bay by some more competent commentator.

Affluent, clean, sunny and Catholic, Munich doesn't have much in common with Berlin, and has almost nothing in common with east London. All your cliches about Germany are true in Munich. It can be an unnerving place for this reason. The school girls wear tighter clothes, and are altogether on a different hunt, the food is heavier, and the immigrants look a lot more nervous. Of course these are all cliches and prejudices, but you know what? - the world is made of cliches. It's true that Munich harbours more Audi-drivers than any other European city. There really are fat businessmen who spend their money on restoring roccoco theatres and keep polaroids of girls in their wallets. But you have to see beyond such petty, weeping images. Though they reflect things in your brain, it doesn't make it true.

Munich is like the Glockenspiel in its town hall. Everyone lives in costume, but we're all dancing on the same stick. You can have a great time there - just keep Munchen that sausage.