This is a true story that took place on a business trip to Europe. I am generally conservative, but there have been a couple of adventures over the last couple of years which tend to occur when I am away from home and feel less inhibited. A young German couple I met in the park later joined me at a hotel spa and a nightclub.
I was off on another trip for my job. Some of my travel is within the USA, but I also take trips to the Far East 2 or 3 times each year. Less frequent are trips to Europe; where I used to go to Germany, Italy and France frequently, but it has been less common the last few years. I was looking forward to a week in Munich, especially in the summer, one of my favorite cities in the world.
I am a scientist working in a high technology firm. My travel involves visiting customers and suppliers and I frequently speak at conferences. I think I am pretty and look younger than my 33 years. I have blond hair and green eyes and I stay in good shape from running with about 115 pounds on my 5'7" frame. My running has not made me into a stick; I still get looks from my 34C β 23 β 34 figure.
It is no secret Europe is more liberated than the US. Certainly that is true regarding attitudes about nudity. I have been to beaches where topless is the standard and fully nude is common. I have been to spas where not only is nudity allowed, but it is quite common for spas to be coed. When in Europe, I take the "when in Rome attitude". It would even be more awkward to be the only one in a swim suit when everyone else is nude. I can appreciate this is not for everyone, but I don't mind and even enjoy the occasional feeling of liberation.
This was going to be a busy trip. I was going to meet with multiple companies during the week; of course there would be obligatory business dinners. Fortunately, Munich has very fine restaurants ranging from upscale Italian and French, to sitting out on the sidewalk having beer and casual food.
The hotel where I stay is right in the center of activity, not far from what they call the English Gardens, Munich's version of New York's Central Park. One of the features of the English Gardens is an area with nude sunbathing.
I had been in Munich a couple of days without much break, but there was going to be no business dinner that evening. I was looking forward to a late afternoon run, spending some time at the spa and having a casual dinner and maybe drinks at a local nightclub. It was a beautiful day; it was warm and the sun was shining. I made my way running through the English Garden and was quite tired after about 5 miles. I was starting a slow jog back when I came upon the nude sunbathing area. There were perhaps 50 people lying out, but there was quite a bit of room. I was wearing my running outfit. Almost on impulse, I thought it would be adventurous (for me) to sit down for a few minutes and catch some sun.
I have been to nude beaches before, but every time I am a little nervous at first. This was no exception. I chose a spot on the grass with the closest person maybe 25 feet away. I can't just strip down immediately, so I removed my shoes and socks and laid down on the grass in my running stuff. The sun felt wonderful. After about 10 minutes, I sat up, looked around and peeled off my top. I was wearing a tank top t-shirt and a sports bra, both white. I looked around and no one seemed to notice or care. What a country!
A couple a little younger than me came nearby and laid down a blanket. Unlike me, they both immediately stripped down completely nude and care-free. I decided enough was enough and stood up to remove my shorts and thong bottom. Apparently the couple noticed my new found boldness and smiled when they looked over. The man nodded his head as if in encouragement. I guess they were regulars, as neither had the slightest tan line. My own tan line situation made it somewhat obvious I was a newcomer and my hesitation probably confirmed it. I smiled back and lay down. I will admit it felt exhilarating to be nude out in public like that, but of course I also knew I was not drawing any particular attention as it was normal behavior there.
As usual for me, after a little time I also get to feeling more comfortable, so I sat up and watched the scene. It was interesting to see some people walking around nude, others chatting with other people, and some doing even doing some Frisbee tossing. Very nonchalant all the way around.
I was not going to stay much longer, I wanted enough time to visit the hotel spa. I noticed the couple who had set up nearby was looking over at me. After a couple of minutes, the girl came over. She said something I did not understand in German, but when I asked if she spoke English, she smiled and said yes.
Her English was actually quite good, and she said, "We wanted to offer you lotion so you don't burn."
"Oh, thank you. I am actually getting ready to leave, but I appreciate the offer."
We introduced each other. Her name was Sabine; she pointed over at man and said he was Karl. He just waved. I told her my name β Beth β and we shook hands and talked for a minute.
Sabine gave me some tips on good bars and restaurants, very friendly. I described a little bit about what I do, how long I would be staying, etc. Sabine was a little shorter than me and thinner. She had a nice body, but not too many curves. She was very pretty with long brown hair. About that time, Karl came walking over. He was tall, perhaps 6'3", and also was thin. He had blond hair, sort of the longer style for men. He kneeled down next to Sabine and we shook hands. He also spoke excellent English. We talked for a while; they offered to show me around Munich if I had time. They were really casual about it when I said I wasn't sure yet. It seemed as though they were just being friendly. As Karl kneeled next to me, it looked like he was checking me out.
I have never had a problem if someone is looking at me. I am still a little nervous, but not offended. For me, part of the appeal of nude beaches is seeing and being seen. No big deal. For my part, I noticed Karl was decent sized and unusual, at least for me, he was not circumcised which I understand to be common in Europe. Both were completely shaved.
I think there is an appeal to me when there is some aspect of sexual innuendo. There is some electricity when on one level a common dialog over small things has on another level some degree of sexuality. Maybe I was completely wrong; maybe they are so casual being nude around others that it never crossed their minds. Even for me, my radar detects the potential connotations of being nude with strangers, it by no means it will be acted upon. Suffice to say for me, I enjoy the exhilaration which accompanies this kind of meeting.
They gave me an e-mail address instead of a phone number if I ended up having time. They also said they would be out here most days this week if the weather was good. Karl got up first and extended his hand to help me up. Sabine gave me a light hug first, followed by Karl, and then they went back to their blanket.
The flaw in my plan became apparent as I realized I was going to have to put on sweaty running clothes. As I stood there and recognized my dilemma, Karl and Sabine seemed to figure out my problem and laughed.
"Don't think about it, get dressed fast and it will be over quickly."
I laughed, but it was good advice and I did just that. Once dressed, I waved as I went back to my hotel. I took a quick shower in my room and went down to the spa, my hair combed out but still wet. Having already worked out, I decided I was going to swim a little first and then use the sauna. The spa policies were the saunas were male and female together; nudity was required. The pool area required suits for swimming with most people seemed to wear robes when just sitting out by the pool.
Locker rooms for men and women are separate, so I changed into my swimsuit, a standard blue one-piece. I had packed a bikini also, but this one was better for swimming. It was not exactly conservative however, cut very high on the hips and thin enough to leave little to the imagination. I had the pool to myself, but I did not want another hard workout, rather more of a leisurely swim.