Donau Walzer: Passau 2

During a fabulous dinner aboard the Viking Legend, the ship was moved from dock 14, which was midpoint on Passau’s isthmus to dock 2. It was very exciting to be on the ship when it was moved! I enjoyed a terrific night’s sleep [with help of Ambien; better life through chemistry] and felt comletely ready to meet the walking tour the next day.

The walking tour took the same path that I had walked the previous day. However, the tour guide talked about how flooding was a huge problem in Passau. She remarked that the flood in 2013 was the biggest ever, and the town was still drying out from it. She pointed out the coat of arms of Passau on a building constructed in 1687. The old wall I had blithely walked past, was originally constructed in 1250! In many places this old wall has flowering plants growing out of it. The Schaiblingstrum is mated to the old wall by a covered bridge made of stone. An azalea grows out of the stone wall; note the magnolia in full bloom above it. A sign post in front of the old wall. A tower from St. Stephan’s looms over everything in town. Many cafés have blankets or in this case, sheepskins for patrons to sit on. St. Paul church is peach colored with a green topped spire [two photos]. A well worn painting is below the flood line. In these next two photos, you can see the Atelier Café is closed and still airing out after last year’s flood. It is apparent that the stone is still damp. Another flood marking on a building left no room for last year’s record flood. The tour guide explained that the new Passau is reworked, but has kept touches of the past, for example, this gargoyle head decorating the corner of a building. This blue house is built in the old style with a slanted roof and small windows. The pansies and primroses are planted by a garden committee that decorates the entire town with the knoweldge that tourism is an important commercial income source for the town. Most citizens rise very early to commute to work at the BMW plant outside of town. I think this is the Bishop’s residence. The Gymnasium is a boy’s school. This is either a Tattoo parlor, or a shop called “Tattoo”. This beautiful bas relief is covered with netting to deter pidgeons. Religious corner decorations on the Hotel Wilderman. A bas relief of Elizabeth of Austria. The Wilden Mann in the Hotel Wilderman. We then walked to the Rathaus and went inside. We were only allowed to take photos of the stained glass windows [two photos], even though the assembly area we were in was filled with beautiful frescos.

Next, our tour guide takes us to St. Stephen’s.

Donau Walzer: Passau 1

The bus dropped us off at the Viking Legend tour boat around 1:00 PM, our home for the next week. We were told that we were the first voyage for the boat this season, so our staterooms were ready for us and we could board immediately. The concierge, David offered to take my rucksack, and I told him to take my mom's. He kindly said that he would take both of our bags. Mom and I were curious to see how big our room was and were pleasantly surprised at its roominess and the full length sliding glass doors on our A level cabin. She was ready to go out and explore the town, but I had to nap first. What a bummer! It was very difficult, but I let her go out on her own and I laid down to try and rest. When I awoke later, I searched the boat for her, but she was nowhere to be found. No surprise, she was probably still out in Passau exploring. So, I grabbed my camera and a map and went out to see the sights of Passau.

The first thing I spied was a lovely iron door sconce in the coat of arms of Passau. How cool is this mermaid door handle? A Ferrari roared by and I caught it with my camera. A German couple at a café. Childrens' lederhosen and dirndels for sale at a souvenier shop. A view across the Danube with another tour boat and the Veste Oberhaus . A view up an alley offers a glimpse of St. Stephen's Cathedral. Spring flowers in a windowbox. Passau town hall or Rathaus. Flood markings on the tower of the Rathaus. A shot of the Veste Oberhaus where the date of 1499 can be clearly seen. A closeup of the figures on the side of the Rathaus. A view up an alley; note the religious bas-relief on the building. Two photos of the small bridge over the Danube in lower Passau. The view back up the Danube. A man stands and paddles his yellow kayak on the Danube river. An irresistable spitz puppy dog. Over the water is Austria. Another small church with much painted decoration. More of the Veste Oberhaus. A woman holds her minipinscher; isn't it the cutest??? The view across the Inn River of the Mariahilf Pilgrimage Church. A young family makes their way up the walk along the Inn. More of the Mariahilf Church. The Shaiblingsturm, a midieval tower, guards the Inn River. It was not at all uncommon for buildings to have paintings of religious or important people on them; this inset is of a king. This chihuahua/minpin mix was so tiny, I thought it was a rat! But isn't it the sweetest?

I looked at my watch and it had gotten very late! I rushed back the the boat and reconnected with my mom. She had walked all the way up to St. Stephen's and went inside! But we will do that tomorrow on the guided tour!