10/10/14 Regensburg

We had a leisurely sail this morning on the Danube.  We passed many small towns and at one point we passed a huge field of sunflowers.  After lunch we arrived in Regensburg, but as there were many ships here already, we had to tie up next to another Viking ship and walk through their lobby to get out onto the dockside pavement.  We had a wonderful tour of the city.  Our guide, Monica, gave us a glimpse of history from Roman times, through medieval times, through World War II and on until the present day city.  We saw some of the original Roman walls and a gate, Porta Pretoria, which was built in 179 AD.  Most of the city was not harmed during the war so many of the medieval homes and structures escaped damage.  One of the oldest bridges crossing the Danube is located here.  The Old Stone Bridge was built between 1135 and 1146.  The knights of the Crusades used it to cross the Danube on their way to the Holy Land.

It is comical that most of the cities we have been in lately claim to have the best sausages, but Ravensburg says. "Nuremberg may have the best sausages, but we have the best mustard!"  There is a small restaurant, The Old Sausage Kitchen near the Old Stone Bridge, which has been in the same spot since 1135.  They claim that they fed the stonemasons as they built the bridge.  As we will be here until 10 tonight, I was thinking about walking back to take some pix of the cathedral.  I just got back and it was worth the walk.  Dom St. Peter is a Gothic cathedral with twin Renaissance towere.  The inside was magnificent with 13th century stained glass windows.  Our guide this morning said that during the war they were taken down pane by pane and buried in sand to preserve them.  On the way back to the ship, I passed a cuckoo clock shop - the first I have seen on this trip.