Today we are in Regensburg. For most of the group a walking tour of Regensburg began at 9 a.m. For others, me among them, the departure for an optional excursion to the Weltenburg Monastery was at 8 a.m.
We took a motorcoach to the Monastery- The Benedictine Abbey of Weltenburg. Founded by monks in about 620, it is considered the oldest monastery in Bavaria! The monastery courtyard is sided by Bavarian baroque buildings, the highlight of which is the abbey church. Arriving early to the monastery allowed us the opportunity to go into the church for a tour prior to their Sunday service. During our visit inside, we were amazed by the church’s intricately carved high altar and some fascinating works of art. Among them was a sculpture of St. George on a horse fighting a dragon with a frightened woman close by. Our early arrival also allowed us to hear the monks practicing before the morning service. The Weltenburg Monastery is not only known for the abbey church, it is known for its beer! Following the tour of the church, we had a beer and pretzel in the beer garden, which is a frequent spot for church attenders following the Sunday service (wonder if that would work in the States?). The beer offered was one of their most popular - Weltenburg Barock Dunkel (a dark beer). 
We left Weltenburg via boat and traversed the Main-Danube Canal to Kelheim where our ship was in port. The views along the canal were quite beautiful - rock formations, etc. The weather was a bit chilly but worth it.
Upon returning to the ship, we had lunch then off on the walking tour of Regensburg that others had done earlier in the day. Regensburg is the oldest city on the Danube River - a medieval city. On our walking tour we encountered a number of quaint, little streets and window boxes filled with blooming flowers!
Along our walk we went into Saint Peter's Cathedral or Regensburg Cathedral. It is the seat of the Catholic diocese of Regensburg. The church is the prime example of Gothic architecture in Bavaria. St. Peter’s has maintained a well-known boys' choir for more than 1000 years, and has a museum of medieval and Renaissance church art.
We saw the Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) dating from the 14th - 18th centuries with its historical apartments, medieval courtroom, art collection, and antiquities. The building's superb Imperial Hall (Reichssaal) is the famous meeting-place of the first German parliament from 1663-1806.
We found the statue honoring Don Juan of Austria, the illegitimate son of a local girl (Barbara Blomberg) and Austrian Emperor Karl V. Don Juan led the Austrian navy in the defeat of the Turks in the naval battle of Lepanto in 1571. Barbara Blomberg's old home has a marker indicating that "the emperor slept here".
On our way back to the ship we saw the Stone Bridge across the Danube. This 1017-foot long bridge was built in the 12th century and is an amazing piece of medieval construction. Completed in 1146, the bridge was the only Danube crossing for hundreds of years. It was the starting point of the second and third Crusades. The bridge was under renovation so I didn't take any pictures. Here's a pic from the internet.
Returning to the ship we got ready for our Never Too Old Cocktail Party which Lisa and I hosted but the ship sponsored. It was a good time to catch up with everyone in the Captain's Lounge. 
For dinner we had a choice of Rack of Lamb or Perch.
We are making our way to Nuremberg!
No comments:
Post a Comment