The Pope is coming home

Is it still possible to get tickets ?

No tickets needed for quiz night, just pop(e) by!

Thanks for the info and links. I'm going to a wedding on 09.09 which is in the centre of town :S

Tigress - I looked at the MVG link you posted but that doesn't give the info on the disruptions on 09.09, do you have a direct link?

Thanks!

Jet your tourist tat, get your tourist tat here!

"I saw the Pope and all he blessed was this lousy t-shirt".

I'm just trying to work out the kiss me quick hats...

too much time and photoshop today...

It's so close, but the red letters on black may be a bit too satanic for our target market. As long as we can produce it in a variety of colors, then we have a winner.

Police are saying if don't want to see Ratbag then stay out of Munich and Regensburg those days. I know I should be going on a demo against the homophobe but I reckon I'll just get out of town instead.

My mom has the bad timing of visiting on that weekend, any ideas on how I can get OUT of Munich, and back in the evenings without too much hassle?

take her for a day out to salzburg? train from Hauptbahnhof

It shouldn't be a problem going anywhere (apart from Freising, Regensburg and Altötting, where His Royal Popeness will also be visiting). You'll be heading in the opposite direction to the crowds and may even benefit from extra trains. It won't be much different to Oktoberfest. Your only potential problem is getting to Hbf in the first place.

Here are the changes that will be implemented on the MVG network on saturday 9th and sunday 10th of september during the Pope's visit. (GErman only)

Changes for Saturday 9th

Changes for Sunday 10th

And for all of those who intend to attend any of the Pope's public appearences here are some infos for saturday and sunday

Thanks for the detailed information tigress.

I noticed on the website that they use the word "gegebenenfalls", so it looks as though the U3/6 will definitely not be stopping at Marienplatz, and may not be stopping at Sendlinger Tor, Odeonsplatz & Universitaet, should that prove necessary.

So as I wandered down my street this morning, I noticed 2 new Pilgerweg signs directing the good catholics right past the window of my flat!!!

I am sooo unimpressed, yesterday the signs were all directing then on the other side of the road (dual carridgeway and tramtrack between us), but now they're gonna be walking straight under my window!!!

The mass starts at 9am, please dont lets them be walking all night long!

Well seeing as the public transport is going to START running at midnight, it is more than possible.

You could get tanked up and sit in the window with a beer in your hand subjecteing them to harrasing abuse perhaps?

@Pootle

Have fun with it.. The night before the Pilgrams start their journey, go out and change all the signs..
Make'em walk all over Munich, with the final destination being a strip club or redlight..

Good idea, Christians fecking got to hate them.

P.S.
The Pope is coming home. No he´s not he lives in Rome.

glad to hear there'll be a demo. the Geordie comedian at the Comedy Club told a pope joke the other night. he said 'do you think the pope left the Hitlerjugend to go the Catholic church cuz he wanted to join a group that really REALLY hated gays?'

Think you mean Catholics...

Wear a bowler hat in July do you?

Some of the Protestants and "independents" are just as bonkers and intolerant as some Catholics and official Catholic ideology.

Nothing against the Goddess, just save me from some of her followers!

I'm not sure if an official demo against the pope has been organised, but Munich's mayor, Christian Ude, is annoyed that a high-ranking member of the SPD party suggested that there should be one. SZ article in German here.

The SZ article also includes a photo of a field outside Munich that has been specially prepared for the pope's visit.

I think there are 2 demos being organised.

One by the left, including elements of the SPD.
One by Rosa Liste, the bourgeis-greeny LGBT party.

Ude is having to tread a very fine line on this one.
He's fairly liberal in his outlook and not a fan of a lot of what Papa Ratbag spews out.
BUT, he's the head of the city and it is his job to welcome such a high profile visitor.
While he wants all the pooves and lefties to re-elect him mayor if he stands again, he also needs the middle of the road voters from the suburbs.

He played it VERY cleverly when speaking at the CSD:

"Do I agree with everything that some Muslims think about the role of women or gays?
No.

But am I going to line up with racists who want to stop the building of mosques?
No.

Do I agree with everything that the Catholic Church thinks about gays or on women's issue?
No.

But I have to be tolerant of the Pope to visit Munich and recognise that he is a special person for many people in Munich".

and how else would a politician play it then??

Back to the popes visit: the sad thing is that we have to suffer the same as if Bush was visiting or the NAT O conference was occurring in munich. I thinks its a public affrontary that i cant buy sausage on a saturday afternoon in the vikt markt and park my bike there...

There's a joke in the somewhere but I'm saying nowt!

They've already started building some kind of huge scaffolding construction on Marienplatz. Might be wise to avoid that area of town over the next few days!

shit. i am in the market for a winter coat and i was reserving saturday for that. do you think the shops will be open if i do decide to bike it there?

You are on such a wind up!

quoting edi-bobs, article:


so me shopping day will be friday.

May already be posted - but I saw them taking shit loads of bikes out of area between Uni-Marianplatz today in orange trucks - They were even taking away the DB bikes. So, if you have your bike locked or typically lock it in those areas during the day = dont until the weekend is over.

We also received several messages in the office today trying to track down the owners of a few cars before they were towed away.

Actually the whole bike's being removed thing was in all the papers. People who have had there bike picked-up can collect it at one of the city offices after the Pope leaves. I forget which one, but I'm sure the green elves can help answer this...

No parking allowed on my street or in the vicinity, ATMs out of operation, shops closed on Saturday... Thankfully I'm going to be in Hessen this weekend!

There are other things to do on Saturday *cough* such as Ben's leaving do and *ahem* an outing to Aying ...

Also husbands cousin's wedding...
sarabyrd - your options sound so much more thrilling.

C'mon, join one of the above ... The cousin is bound to get married again anyway

You could so easily lead me astray - you know I would if I could.

Yesterday, a well-known event-artist and anti-Nazi/anti-church activist Wolfram Kastner dressed up as a Papal Nuntius (sort of ambassador) and accompanied by a friend dressed as Hitler attempted to walk from Marienplatz to Königsplatz to protest against the Catholic churches stand towards the Nazis, passing former Nazi administrative buildings on the way.
They were quickly surrounded by police who tried to arrest him for handing out flyers - which he wasn't doing, his friends were. Then for impersonating the Pope - which he wasn't doing, he was a Nuntius. And besides, he wasn't being political - this was an artistic event. "Hitler" kept his mouth shut regardless. The police had to let them go.
Suddenly, the police realized that the two of them formed a group staging an unregistered demonstration and hauled them off to Headquarters in the Ettstrasse, where Kastner calmly informed them that a demonstration needs three participants to count as such. But the police remained stubborn and insisted on Kastner aborting the event and handing over the clothes "zur Gefahrenabwendung" - to deter potential danger. (I don't know if they had other clothes along, article doesn't say.)
But it must have been great while it lasted ...

Geez they make the law up as they go along here dont they. Reminds me of Helen Clarks darkest moment, when she ordered the police in Christchurch to forcibly remove people protesting against the visiting chinese president. The right to protest and free expression are the cornerstones of democracy, all cracking down against it does is make it look as though the german government and catholic church have something to hide...

I'd have no problem with the anti-Catholic anti-Nazi anti-Oxygen brigade if they also displayed a little balance and instead of putting energy into negativity noticed that they Church does so much for the poor and the sick. Take Caritas for example in this town.

Or even better how bout this lad:
http://www.saintmychal.com/life01.htm
Catholic gay priest and alcoholic.

Just got back from Marienplatz, where I had to pop in to purchase an item of amplification carrying equipment from Kaufhof. The scene is nightmarish. Everywhere you look there is The Mafia. They're easy to spot... basically, anybody not wearing something suitable for the temperature: Black suits, white shirts, ties and dark... very, very dark sunglasses. I highly advise anybody not stupid enough to buy The Mafia's bollocks to stay well away from Munich city centre until they've moved on to pillage other brains. I'm 'effin' off to Prague with my American oppo to get away from the invasion of the penguins. I'm maintaining that with the big audience Pope Benny The Whatever-number-he-is is gonna whip out a Strat from under that dress and slay them with some choice riffs.

Yeah, but look, he's going to need a bass player as well then, isn't he? I reckon this could be your big break, Sin. With the huge crowd, and all that karma stuff or whatever it's called, this could be like Woodstock all over again. What time does the gig start?

Nah, not enough mud for Woodstock. Unless we bring our own.

You getting the afternoon train tomorrow by any chance Sin?
Cos I'm heading ioff in that direction too.

Not everywhere you see the name Caritas is it acting as a charity.
It is also the provider of welfare services for which it is paid by the various parts of government and welfare kassen.

Nah, sorry. Gotta wait for my American oppo to land Sunday morning and then we're drivin'.

Nice.

Yer not a bleedin' Kafflick as well as an 'ayes Pikey, are ya?

The Pope is only coming to bless all the rotten meat so that CSU/CDU supporters can sell it with a clear conscience. And make a profit as well.

For the sake of all those Pilgers, I hope he's bringing some new material with him. His recent performances have been a touch too predictable for my liking.

The tour company I work for did not take ANY of this into account when making the schedule for this weekend...and I'm not really getting realistic feedback from my boss. I have a tour at 11:15am on Sat and 10 on Sun, both departing from Marienplatz. Should I even bother turning up?