In the morning I went on a walking tour of Passau (Adrienne took an all-day tour to Salzburg Austria – a Sound of Music-related excursion). It was quite chilly this morning, everyone was bundled up.
Since it was Sunday, most shops are required to be closed – cafes and souvenir shops are exempt.
Passau is at the convergence of three rivers as shown on this banner at a construction site. Note the different colors. On the right, Ilz, which comes down from the forests. In the middle, the Danube, which must be blue. On the left, the Inn which is greenish due to limestone sediments. Only the Danube is navigable.
Marks on a building to show height of biggest floods:
St Stephen’s Cathedral:
The pipe organ is one of the largest in the world, almost 18000 pipes, 5 separate organs, all played from one central location.
In the afternoon, I went on an excursion to Scharding. Crossing the moat (now a parking area) into the main square of town:
Next we took a little cruise on a small boat
where we had beer, pretzels, and a delicious cheese spread.
Back to Scharding:
Good news tonight: the rivers are just high enough that we get to STAY on this ship – the Gefjon – and don’t have to pack up tonight to switch to another ship for the second week!
arletelouise 