Viking Grand European River Cruise: 6-19-16

Up at 0600 this morning as we get ready for our trip to Regensburg. We spent the night in the Novotel Central Village Hotel. It is located just outside of the Nuremburg city walls and is in easy walking distance to the main part of the old town. We are in the hotel because the Bragi crashed into a cement pier some time Sunday morning and is now out of commission. There is another vessel (Besla) coming but it is a couple of days away and we have to spend two nights in Nuremburg and travel by bus to Regensburg and Passau.

Regensburg is another beautiful midieval city. It was not destroyed during WWII so its buildings are largely original and not replicas as many of the other heavily bombed cities are. Below are a number of images of our trip to and in the city.

Our bus trip from Nuremberg to Regensburg. The trip took approximately 1.5 hours each way. The country side between these two cities is really quite beautiful and it was a pleasant ride.

Our walking tour path in Regensburg. We started at the top of the image.

We just disembarked from the bus and we are ready to begin our walking tour.

The signs that are outside of the various guilds (brewers, butchers, confectioners, etc.) are really interesting. This one is over a bruhaus... We were told that a bruhaus had a 6 pointed star but this one in Regensburg did not... oh well, perhaps they are different in each city?

One of the remaining brewers and brugartens in the outskirts of Reginsburg. There were approximately 40 bruhauses in the middle ages but there are only two or three remaining.

So much for the blue Danube. The guide says that the Danube river is never blue, but is always brown.

The city of Regensburg on the Danube river as seen from the opposite side of the bridge that was built back in the 10th century.

On the old bridge with the old cobble stone surface.

The city gate(s). The one on the right is the original one and the larger one on the left is the modern one built to accomodate cars. Today the bridge is pedestrian only.

The terrace on the banks of the Danube and in front of the oldest Bratwurst restaurant. It claims it has been in business since the 15th century. The bratwurst are tiny sausages and you get three on a crusty bun.

Looking back on the terrace, you can see the very large old salt warehouse. The salt in those days was as valuable as gold. The building is used for various functions now. They wanted to make it into a library but the salt in the walls are very destructive to printer material.

The green building is the oldest bratwurst kitchen mentioned above.

Another one of the guild signs. I don't know what it stands for.

There are lots of very well behaved pets strolling the streets of all of the cities we have visited.

The Goliath Building. The art on the building depicting David and Goliath was painted in the 15th century. The building itself was a residence of a wealthy Regensburg business family. No one seems to know why the painted was placed there.

Every wealthy family had a very large residence and, as a sign of their wealth, built a tower. The bigger the tower the wealthier the business man. The guide said that the towers served no functions and were often nearly hollow inside.

The Rathaus of Regensburg.

Pat checking out one of the entrances to the Rathaus.

The three iron bars on the corner represent the city's measurement standards (every city created their own and anyone trading in or with the city used those standards). The one is the middle is the size of the foot, the right side is the elbow to finger tip and the long one represents a arm span from tip of left to tip of the right.

Some of the tradition clothing.. hard to see through the window...The fashion now has brought these clothes back into use during festivals and celebrations.