2017 River Cruise on the Danube

Continuing northward, the next day we arrived in Passau.  On the border of Austria and Germany, in the German state of Bavaria, the city of Passau is built on a tapering peninsula of land surrounded to the north by the Danube, to the south, the River Inn, and just before the two meet, the smaller River Ilz which flows from the Alps.  Over 2500 years old, dreadful fires destroyed the city in the 16th century, most of it was rebuilt in the Baroque style, during the rule of Napoleon.  He said, "I have never seen a town more beautiful in Germany.

Walking along one of the beautiful small streets in Passau, I shot this pic of Vickie and our new friend, Caroline, from England.  Traveling with her parents, Caroline was one of the most enjoyable new friends we made.  Caroline, 27, has special needs.  Her delightful innocence and welcoming personality made her a special traveling companion.  I was especially gratified in the way many of our fellow travelers accepted her and made her feel welcome.

We attended an organ recital at St Stephens Cathedral.  Built after a fire in 1662, it has one of the largest organs in the world, with over 17,000 pipes and 233 registers.  Organ concerts are held every day at noon.

The Veste Oberhausen, a fortress high over the Danube was begun in 1219 and finished in the 1500's

This beautiful old structure, with a cross on the top, was and still is, an orphanage, with private rooms for each resident.

After lunch back on the ship, we boarded our E-bikes for a ride along the Danube.  We stopped for refreshments at this little local bakery.  While relaxing, a local man stopped by and asked why a bunch of American's were visiting his little German town.  We discovered he was a retired art dealer who had moved back to his home town after a career of traveling the world, and discovering we were from Texas, he regaled us with some stories of his travels to Dallas and other parts of the US.  On the way back to the ship, we were drenched in a rain storm, arriving at the ship dripping wet, cold, and tired.  All in all, another great day of adventure.