Did
you enjoy the break from the minutiae of our trip? Here goes two days worth of
events.
Yesterday,
after cruising all night, we docked in Regensburg. It is yet another medieval
walled city. However, this one had not been bombed and everything there was
authentic, not rebuilt. The city started in 1050 by the Romans. The oldest
bridge in Europe crosses the Danube at this point. The entire structure is now
being restored and reinforced to assure its safety. As we were walked through
the city, our guide pointed out the different architecture of each century.
Walking the narrow cobbled stoned alleys, looking at the old buildings, the
artisan's grillwork signs and the church and town towers, it was not difficult
to imagine what life was like.
An interesting sight was marked on the side of
the town hall. In paint one could see three lines. One was the length of a
foot, one the length of an ell and the last the length of a span. This was the
standard used in the markets in Regensburg only. Initially every city had its
own standard. In the early years, Regensburg was a city of trade and the
merchants became very wealthy. They married nobles who were on hard times in
order to built a community that was wealthy enough.
The
cathedral took five hundred years to build. Most of it was built in about
seventy years. Because of the decline of trade, the city then ran out of money
and so the work was in abeyance until more funds were available. The cathedral
was rebuilt a number of times on the same site. The structure that remains is
very gothic in appearance, ornate spires, arched windows, a triangular entry.
Inside are enormous stained glass windows, including a rose window at the front
of the building. It is still in use and there were a number of visitors on the
kneelers praying and in the side recesses of the building, lighting candles.
The tall graceful pillars soared to the top of the building with its vaulted
ceilings. Along with the quiet respectful hush, the total effect was nothing
less than awe inspiring.
We
heard about an illicit love story between a war weary emperor and a young girl
(named Barbara) of the city. When she found that she was pregnant after the
emperor had left, she was called and treated like a harlot. The happy part of
the story is that although he was not aware of his lineage at the time, the son
(Johann) was taken under the wing of his royal parent. He ended up as king of
Spain (tracing lineage through marriages is very complicated and time consuming)
and hearing that his mother was behaving like a cougar, he convinced his mother
to drop the constant stream of young lovers and come to live in a convent as
was fitting for the King's mother. When Johann (now Juan as he was called in
Spain) died, possibly due to syphilis, Barbara left the convent and resumed her
former life style.
On
our break, Gila purchased paint, paper and a brush. Then we returned to the
boat for lunch. The day had started very grey and threatening, but in the
afternoon, the sun broke out. Gila sat in a cafe in a square painting while I
wandered through the street and was drawn into the stores that carried items
usually not seen at home. By the time I returned to meet with Gila and return
to the ship. Gila had several painted portraits of other guests in the cafe and
I had a knee that was telling me very clearly, that it was no longer willing to
negotiate the cobblestone and uneven streets.
A bit of modernity in a medieval town
Back
at the boat, we set sail again and had dinner. This evening we sat with two
Mexican couples. They were very friendly and funny. We chatted about children,
jobs, life styles until the management very politely evicted us so the room
could be cleaned. The movie Sound of Music was on the on the ship tv and since
the name of the boat is Sound of Music, I felt obligated to watch until the
last 'so long, farewell, auf wiedersehn, adieu'. At dinner the waiters keep
topping up the wineglasses continually. I have no idea how much I drank, but I
had no difficulty falling asleep.
The date? 1499 a building on the Danube
The
ship sailed through the night and docked in Passau, on the German side of the
Austrian border. After breakfast, the optional tour to Salzburg set off and the
rest of us were given an info walk for orientation and provided with several
hours of free time. Last May, serious flooding occurred along the length of the
Danube. A building at water's edge had high water levels through the centuries
marked on the wall. The highest was in 2013 and was at least ten feet from
ground level.
The city sits on the confluence of three rivers, the Danube, Inn
and Itz.
The Itz River
The edge of the town houses St. Stephen's cathedral built in the
Italian style. This is the highest point of the town. From there charming
cobble stoned winding streets lead down to a very modern and interesting
shopping district.
Saint Stephen's The path into town
The town square
The
rest of the afternoon was very low key (thank goodness). Gila went for a full
body massage while I got to know some of the other passengers a bit better and
now I have more or less caught up on my e-mails. After dinner this evening, the
crew is putting on a show and the movie The Name of the Rose is being shown.
Tomorrow, Melk in the morning followed by Vienna and a concert in one of the
famous halls. I'm glad that today was somewhat more restful.
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