Germany Day 3

Sept. 12, 2011. Today was a little more laid back than the last couple days. Unfortunately neither Deb nor I got much sleep last night because after we went to bed at 1:30 AM, we laid awake and gabbed and giggled for a couple more hours. I have no idea why our bodies decided to revert to Illinois time again, but they certainly did! When Herman called us for breakfast we were so out of it we couldn't even get dressed and went to Christine's house in our pajamas! Herman had been to the bakery so we had fresh rolls, butter, fruits, meat, cheese and tea which is becoming our usual morning fare. Christine had to go to work, and Herman had plans with a friend so we were perfectly fine wandering around on our own. We had to catch up on some general organization stuff first - photos, journals, getting a misplaced debit card to Germany, and moving to the upstairs apartment - so it was lunchtime before we made it out for the day.

Another beautiful day was in progress as we made our way across the Danube and into town. It seems I get to wake up by the river often - usually the Rock River but these last few days the Danube. With no real plans for the day, we just walked around town, stopping at any shop or attraction that caught our fancy. When we found ourselves in front of St. Peter's Cathedral, we decided to take the city tour that we took on our first day here that we couldn't understand since it was in German; this time we asked for the English version and it was very interesting and informative. Some of the stories Christine had been telling us began to make sense and we saw the city landmarks in a new light.

From the 1,900 year-old Roman wall remains to the stone bridge built between 1135 and 1146 to the many ancient cathedrals and abbeys, we saw thousands of years of history unfold before us. During Medieval times, Regensburg was a major trade center and a crossroads for mercantile traffic heading to and from Italy and as far east as Kiev. With their growing wealth, Regensburg's merchants built elaborate patrician homes in the form of Italian fortified fortresses. Each showed off his wealth and prestige by trying to build the highest tower. Nineteen still stand today. During this period, the city's faithful built the Gothic St. Peter's Cathedral (a 250-year undertaking) and a multitude of churches and monasteries. Today, the large medieval center of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, preserving their heritage for future generations.

We enjoyed lunch at the Historiche Wurstkuche, an ancient sausage kitchen on the bank of the Danube. Sausages have been grilled over an open fire here for hundreds of years, and it is a required stop for anyone visiting Regensburg. We each had six with sauerkraut and sweet mustard on hard rolls. Delicious!

After lunch, we walked to the other end of town to see the Thurn and Taxis Museum, the palace built by the fortune made by the Thurns and Taxis with their postal monopoly. The palace has over 500 rooms and is bigger than Buckingham palace. However, we got sidetracked by the abbey church of St. Emmeram, built in the 13th century, This church was not only beautiful, but kind of spooky. There were dead people buried beneath the floor everywhere! There were also two glass display cases with what I swear were skeletons wrapped in gauze and decorated with clothes and jewels. Since the captions in the brochure were in German, I really couldn't tell for sure but it was so creepy that I loved it!

A little shopping followed as we strolled back through town, stopping at the 1,900 year-old Roman fort ruins to marvel at the ancient stones incorporated right into buildings in use today. With tired feet, we arrived at the apartment ready for a short rest. However, Christine had finished her work day a little sooner than planned so we left almost immediately for dinner. We joined her son Julian and some friends for pizza at an Italian restaurant, and for drinks later at a local bar. As we walked to dinner, and then to the bar, Christine told us many interesting stories about the buildings we passed, even pulling us into some to show us the best details. What a great hostess! It has been a wonderful 3 days and we are going to be a little sad to be leaving Regensburg tomorrow. But - we get to join up with the rest of our group and spend the next 2 weeks touring Bavaria! It's only just begun!