Regensburg became an international trading hub in the 12th century when locals built the Stone Bridge over the Danube. This was our first day of the trip where we didn't get on a bus and travel to our tour location. The ship docked right in town so the entire tour was by foot.
We viewed the entrance to the city built by the Romans during Marcus Aurelius's reign. The Porta Praetoria is exposed once the plaster has been removed to reveal the ancient stones laid so long ago.
Salt was the major commodity of Regensburg back in ancient times. This is the interior of the building previously used to store the salt. Notice the size of the timbers supporting the roof, still tinged with salt residue. This building is now used for multiple purposes, including a visitor information center.
We passed this construction site. Because of the history of this city, any time construction is done, the area is carefully excavated to look for ruins from earlier times. This old stone wall is being preserved.
We walked past this building which was once the carriage house. You first notice the woman escaping the dragon. But, if you look on the top of the sign and you will see a small carriage being pulled by a horse. These signs were designed to communicate to the common people who could not read.
The Gothic town hall where the Imperial Diet met for three centuries.
The spectacular Cathedral of St. Peter from the outside . . .
with its magnificent 14th-century stained-glass windows.
As we continued our walking tour, we passed many interesting sites in the historic quarter. We were enthralled by these beautiful flower boxes.
A narrow street lined by shops.
A large outdoor cafe.
One of several town squares we passed.
This 4-story mural caught our eye. This is a classic "David & Goliath" painting. Notice how the left arm of Goliath is resting on the top of the window?
We touched this "lucky mouse" along the wall of a building as we walked back to the ship.
This pub was located near our docking spot. The chain to the left of the portrait is painted on the wall to match up to the chain in the portrait. Quite clever indeed. Unfortunately, the pub was not open mid-afternoon when we walked by it on our way back to the ship.
After lunch on board the ship, we used our free time to walk across the famous Stone Bridge to the west, where there is an island between the Danube Canal and the Danube River.
This is the view downstream from the Stone Bridge. Our ship is in the distance on the right.
We enjoyed this view of Regensburg from the island. You can see the towers of the Cathedral of St. Peter.
On this afternoon, the reflection of the buildings in the Danube Canal were crystal clear.
As we crossed another bridge back to the city center, we were fascinated by these locks. The padlocks are inscribed with names and dates, perhaps signifying when a couple gets engaged.
This is the modern entrance to Regensburg. The city shield is shown in red on the facade on the right.
As we enter the city, the famous Sausage House is on the left. We could smell the aroma of the sausages on the grill.
Before our ship left Regensburg, Paul admires the view from the Sun Deck.
We enjoyed our walks on the cobblestone streets among centuries of history. The weather has cooperated with mostly sunny skies and cool days. Our ship soon left the dock and began cruising towards the Main-Danube Canal on our final journey to Nuremberg.
Our first day in Germany started with fog, but the sunshine soon dissipated the fog. Our ship was docked just west of Passau, "The Town of the Three Rivers."
Our chosen activity for our stop in Passau was the "Go Active, hiking along the river Ilz" tour. The Ilz, one of the 3 rivers that converge in Passau, is a rushing tributary of the Danube and originates deep in the Bavarian Forest, some 40 miles from where it dumps into the Danube in Passau.
Our hike was led by a local guide and nature expert. We began on the trail with some gentle inclines, this one even had a hand rail.
Luckily, we did not have to read the directional signs in German .
The trail surface was mostly soft dirt covered in fallen leaves which were slick from a light rain earlier in the day.
The trail crossed the Ilz several times. Notice the beautiful fall colors.
The fall foliage is more noticeable here where the river bends.
The trail passed a local swimming beach. We enjoyed the serenity along this part of the river - look at the clear reflection of the forest in the water.
More fall colors as we crossed another bridge.
The only wildlife we saw were these two swans.
The swans needed to go fishing--bottoms up.
As we ended the hike, we could look up the hillside to the ruins of a medieval castle.
Looking downstream, we were treated to his view.
The only wildflowers we saw were these small pink flowers, Kazuo Yamasaki.
After our hike, our group met the others from our ship at a Bavarian country restaurant. We enjoyed a tasty lunch of traditional Bavarian foods, accompanied by good German beer.
We again admired the vibrant fall colors, something we don't see in Florida.
The bus ride back to the ship took us past this panorama view of Passau.
We enjoyed a delightful day, beginning with a 4.5 mile picturesque hike, followed by an authentic German meal. Our afternoon was filled with more cruising along the Danube. Can life be any better?
Our final day in Austria began in the fog, as we floated along the Danube.
At times the fog lifted so that we could see the quaint villages and towns along the river, as well as some vineyards in the Wachau Valley.
Our ship arrived in Spitz, a small town in lower Austria. The primary industries in
Spitz are wine making and tourism. This area is also known for making many products from apricots. As an economic measure, apricots trees were planted after mites destroyed the grapevines in the 1800's, giving an alternate crop for several years until grapevines could be replanted.
Our tour today took us to a former monastery, which is now a museum. As we walked up to the museum, we could smell the fragrance of the grapes since the wineries were still in crushing season.
The
baroque architecture inside the museum was very detailed. This 3-D design around a doorway was done with cement and then painted.
The museum told the story of shipping on the Danube before the time of powered vessels using scaled models. The majority of models were made by the same man who is now 90 years old.
We learned that horses were used to tow the rafts upstream so they could be loaded with cargo to ship downstream. Sometimes as many as 50 or 60 horses were used. Wooden models of the horses and riders were used to show this method. We were amazed at the efforts that were used to make shipping work on the Danube.
After the tour of the museum, we were treated to a tasting of several products from the region.
Our first taste was an apricot liqeur. We agreed that the liquor would taste much better poured over some good vanilla ice cream rather than served in a goblet for sipping. Next on our tasting agenda was apricot jam which was smooth and sweet. We were also treated to some roasted apricot seeds which are found inside the stone, covered is a delicious dark chocolate. We tried to find some to bring home, but the gift shop was out of stock.
We tasted two wines, both Gruner Veltliner varieties native to this valley. These wines tasted similar to a Chardonnay but perhaps a bit more fruity.
After our tour, the fog had completely lifted. We were treated to some fantastic scenery as we journeyed west along the Danube. Some grapevines growing on a hillside.
Grapevines and apricot trees growing side-by-side. Not a cloud in the sky on this sunny day.
There were also ruins of castles on several of the hillsides.
We enjoyed our visit to the quaint village of Spitz. The history of shipping along the Danube was interesting, and the wine tasting and apricot treats capped a great morning visit. Although this village might not be on a driving tour itinerary, the format of river cruises stopping at interesting places along the river allowed us to experience the culture of rural Austria.
When we awoke on day 4 we were cruising west along the Danube towards Vienna. We could feel the ship slowing down while finishing breakfast. We looked out the window, and suddenly we were watching a concrete wall instead of river scenery. We realized we were entering one of 25 locks we would be going through on our river trip. We went up to the sun deck and could see the back door of the lock closing behind us. Once closed, the lock filled with water to bring the ship up to the level of the Danube on the other side of the lock. Can you see the wind turbine in the background?
Once the level in the lock was raised to the same as the higher Danube, the lock opened, and we proceeded along our journey.
On board, the chef and his pastry chef did a demonstration before we arrived in Vienna. The chef prepared Austrian "Kaiserschmarrn". After the chef poured a flour and egg batter in a square frying pan, he mixed them every so often like you would mix scrambled eggs. When finished, the dough had a consistency of moist bread pudding. After sprinkling with powdered sugar, he served it to the audience with a hot plum sauce. Very rich but so tasty!
As soon as we pulled into our dock in Vienna, we went for a short walk on a bridge across the Danube. You can see our ship behind us along with some tree tops showing their brilliant fall colors. Yes, we are wearing coats due to the cool weather.
In the afternoon, we took a bus and walking tour of the Vienna city center. The opera house was magnificent.
This Neorenaissance style theater opened in 1869. Our guide explained that the lobby area was the only part of the opera house left standing after World War II. The theater and stage areas were rebuilt after the WWII. This is a view of the magnificent lobby.
Walking up the grand staircase gave us a feeling of royalty.
The theater was comprised of auditorium style seating on the floor with four vertical rows of boxes along each side of the theater. The open area to the far right is the standing room section. The charge for a standing room ticket is only 4 Euros, about $5.
The Opera House is run by the city of Vienna. Over 50 operas are performed each year with a different opera performed every night, requiring a huge stage so that multiple sets can be in place at the same time. In the US, a particular show typically runs for several consecutive performances before a different show begins.
The St. Charles Church was built in opulent splendor. There are over 23,000 small colored tiles on the roof. We were amazed at how many people were walking around this afternoon. Obviously, it is still tourist season here in Vienna.
Vienna is a majestic city well-known for the arts. While we enjoyed our visit, the city seemed too crowded to enjoy at a leisurely pace.
