Regensburg- Updated

From here on we will be going down in the locks and not up.  We got up and headed to breakfast.  We arrive in Regensburg around 9am.  The ship will dock right in town so we might just do this on our own.  We'll see.  We sat with Bud and Carolyn from Jacksonville.  Carolyn went to the Dr. yesterday to get some relief for her swollen face.  Seems she has a blocked saliva gland.  Placed on antibiotics.  Feels much better today.

We docked here in Regensburg and will walk about the town.  This afternoon we are scheduled to visit an Abby and the Weltenburg Danube Gorge.

We decided to go out on our own this morning.  We walked the quay where there were two other river boats docked.  The Viking Vienna and the Scenic Pearl.  Later two other ships docked next to the Pearl and us.  The Scenic Ruby next to the Pearl and the River something, which is a Uniworld ship, next to us.  I do not like it when they do this as it makes the cabin dark and you feel like you are on display if you keep the curtains open.  Oh well, the price you pay for so many river cruises going to the same places.

We stopped at St. Peter's Cathedral  It is one of the most striking Cathedrals in Germany.  Building operations went on there in french Gothic style for over 250 years in the Middle Ages.  The figure of St. Peter in the south transept dates from 1320/30 and represents the patron saint of the cathedral.  The gothic cathedral contains nearly  100 images of St. Peter, reflecting the particular tradition of the veneration of this saint.

The Cathedral is so big we could not get the entire outside in one frame.

The two towers of the Cathedral.

More of the exterior.

Flying buttress of the Cathedral.

Stained Glass window of St. Peter.

And the statue of St. Peter.  We did not look for the 100 images of St. Peter.  Just these two.

Wonderful painting of the Holy Family.

Next we walked to the Lutheran Church.  This is a much more simple church.

Exterior of the Lutheran Church.

Dome of the Lutheran Church.

Much lighter inside than the Cathedral.  And much more simple.  No statues, etc.

The rear of the Church.

And the pulpit.  It appears to be hanging from the wall.

We next went shopping.  Bob decided he needed some short sleeve shirts.  So we found a department store and bought him two.

We started walking back to the ship.  Stopped to see the Roman Porta Praetoria.

The city hails back to Roman times.

On our way back to the ship we stopped at the Wurstkuchl or Sausage Kitchen.  It is the oldest restaurant in all of Germany, dating back to 1135.  They serve 6000 sausages to guests every day.  We shared a dark beer and six sausages with sauerkraut.  They are what you call finger sausages.  We enjoyed them and sat near the stone bridge.  The bridge was built in the 12th century. The 900 year old kitchen building is notable for its role in feeding the mason workers who built the stone bridge.

The kitchen where they still cook the sausages.  You sit outside at picnic tables.

Our plate of sausages.  The silverware reminds me of the silverware my Grandmother had in her home.

Bob enjoying our shared beer.

The stone bridge.  We had to back into our docking space as there is no way the ships of today can get under this bridge.

We then returned to the ship and now waiting for lunch.  Lunch was a Bavarian Lunch.  Sausages, etc. After lunch we had to get ready for our afternoon tour.

We had to walk a bit to get to the buses.  We were in the orange group.  We rode out and passed the home where Pope Benedict XVI grew up.  We arrived at the Weltenburg Abbey.   We had to walk a bit to get to the Abbey.  Along the way we passed this marker.  Three American soldiers died while training on the Danube while it was at flood stage.  They are no longer able to train while the river is a flood stage.

When you arrive at the Abbey, you see the outside of the Abbey which is quite plain.

But when you enter the Abbey, it is quite a different story.

The ceiling of the Abbey.

The front altar area.

The pulpit.

And a side altar.

The Benedictine monastery of Waltenburg is located where the Danube cuts a narrow gorge through the hills of the Franconian Alb.  This is where the Christianization of Bavaria is supposed to have begun in the 7th century.  The monastery church, a late baroque jewel, was built in 1716-18 by the Asam brothers.  The beer is from the monastery-run brewery.  Now there are only 6 monks living here.

At the front altar, this is St. George slaying the dragon saving the young princess.  The fresco int he background shows the "Immaculate Conception of Mary".

Around the top of the Abbey are several golden stories.

The organ in the Monastery.

After our tour of the Abbey we were treated to a pretzel and beer in the courtyard.  Then we walked to a dock and got on a boat that took us through the Danube Gorge.  We ended in Kelheim.  Kelhiem is where the rivers Danube and Altmuhl meet.  We drove out to Liberation Hall.  King Ludwig I (1786-1868) had the Hall of Liberation built as a memorial to honor the military struggles against Napoleon in 1813-1815 and the German independence.

Sailing through the Danube Gorge.

This was our boat.

A Church in Kelheim.  St. Thomas I think.

And this silo looking church is St. Michael's.

Liberation Hall.

Another view of Liberation Hall.

These figures carry boards in their hands with the names of all tribes which participated in the liberation of Germany.

A view from the top.  Bob walked all the way up but I stayed at the bottom.

The Danube

Another view of the river and its flow.

Then back on the bus and back to the ship.

Dinner was in the special restaurant.  Debbie had set it up so we sat at a table for eight.  There was Peter and Debbie from Florida, Bob and Karen from Florida, Ken and Rosalie from Canada and us.  Ken and Rosalie are just married one year but a second marriage for each.  We were totally surprised when she announced she would be 50 this year.  I thought she was about 30.  Dinner was good and the conversations better.

Back to the cabin to watch some news on TV and then lights out.