Regensburg, Germany

 Regensburg would be our last stop on the Danube. The captain had informed our director that the river had become too shallow for the boat to make it safely to Nuremburg which was to be our last port before our post cruise time in Prague. I didn't mind having to stay in Regensburg overnight. It was a quaint little town and we were right in the middle of the old town section.

Our morning had been a few hours of cruising while we had breakfast and then enjoyed the countryside as it passed by. There was a bit of mist on the river as the morning sun played with the cool temperatures. At one spot, it appeared as if a cloud had rested on the water. There was lots of waterfowl to watch, many swans mostly white but a black on now and then.

We arrived in Regensburg around ten and our excursion formed on the shore after we had climbed to our sundeck, passed over a Viking ship and down their stairs to the ramp to shore. At least there was only one ship to pass over. Sometimes on the river there would be three or four rafted together.

Our guide greeted us with O-H when he asked where we were from. It seemed he knew quite a bit about America, enough to make a few jokes. He raced along a boardwalk of sorts lined with pretty fall colored trees. It was near impossible to get any pictures as he was moving so fast we would have been left behind. Some asked him to slow down and he said, "Ja, Ja." 

After a short stop for everyone to catch up and for him to show us pictures of the area, he raced on again. When he stopped to show pictures again, this time news headlines from the past that had little to do with where we were standing, I looked at Bob, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you ready to cut out?"

He agreed and we got out my GPS My City App and began our own tour and at our own pace and headed for our first stop, the Regensburg Cathedral. Now I haven't mentioned how cold it had gotten. Even though the sun was shining the temps were only in the 40s F. We tried to walk in the sun as much as possible. 

The square in front of the cathedral was nice and sunny and we warmed a bit there before going inside. The building was icy cold. I would hope that there would be lots of warm bodies in there when they had mass. But then, maybe they heat it for the worshippers. The stained glass windows were stunning and obviously well cared for as the colors were not dulled by smoky candles or the weather.

Out on the square again, we spied a coffee shop that was open. We had been warned that there might not be too many places open for business since the Germans were celebrating Reunification Day, the day in 1990 when East and West Germany were reunited for the first time since 1945. We were grateful for the opportunity to go inside and warm up with a cappuccino and we split the last available chocolate croissant. The proprietor was very happy to split it for us and declare it was our lucky day.

By the time we were back on our tour, the sun had warmed the cobblestones and building walls a bit to make it a little more comfortable as we sought out the Praetorian Gate, the oldest surviving stone building in Germany. It dates back to 179 AD when it was a Roman settlement. Over the years it has become a part of adjoining buildings but has been preserved as a historic landmark.

We skipped a couple of uninteresting stops, we'd already had our food and drink, and went on to the Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady. From the outside it didn't look like much but the inside was amazing. I sat and just took it all in while Bob wandered about. He likes to check out all the nooks and crannies and any crypts that might be interesting.

Several other places of worship also had beautiful interiors. The paintings themselves I'm sure have quite a history and meaningful connection with the artists. You could spend a whole day in some of them and not find out all that is represented there in paint and sculpture. 

Of course a visit to a German village would not be complete without a stop by the Rathaus, the town hall. We were a little disappointed to learn that the interior was closed for the day along with all the lovely shops and bakeries and candy places we'd seen along the way. 

The Old Stone Bridge would be our last stop for the morning tour. It was near where our ship was docked. The bridge dates to the 12th century and for the longest time was the only place to cross the river.

After lunch and a short rest, we were off again with a large group to hear a wonderful choir at a church nearby. The choir turned out to be ten men and their conductor but with the acoustics and their amazing voices, you would have thought it was a choir of a hundred. They did quite a variety of music including Gregorian chants, some pieces by Mendelssohn and Haydn, It Is Well With My Soul (made you want to sing along) Ava Maria and they ended with Brahm's lullaby. 

We all returned to the ship for dinner and the usual predinner meeting to plan the next day. We were all curious to know what our cruise director had planned for us since we would not be cruising to Nuremburg the next day. Could we get there by bus? How long would it take? What tour would be planned?