Day 6. Into Germany

      It started sprinkling as we were in the lock right at bedtime last night. Because of more locks on the overnight passage, with the associated noise, I put in ear plugs for sleeping. I did not hear any noises and slept through any locks and missed the heavy rain overnight. We woke up to rain and more was forecast. Along with wind and cools temps. Oh well. The locals were amazed by the spell of very hot weather (90s) but now that's over. 

     We got to Passau about 0700 and, after a quick breakfast [0730-0815], we were off the boat by 0845 for a walking tour of Passau, Germany. Yes, we had crossed into Germany, at some point, but we were still very close to Austria. The Czech Republic is very close, too, but we did not go to there. I already have a Prague tee-shirt anyway. 

     This first part of the tour was to the tip of the peninsula that Passau is on. 

The lower photo is from a sign on the tip of the peninsula. Inn to the left. Danube in the middle. Ilz to the extreme right and much smaller. Upper photo is looking east from the very tip. Note the water color differences.

     Passau is on the south side of the Inn (left) and the north side (right) of the Danube but the main part of the city is on the peninsula, in the middle. It is almost all cobblestone streets and very hilly. A lot of history, too. 

       In this photo the houses are in Germany (Passau) but the top of the hill is in Austria. In the previous map photo, the Czech Republic is not far away. Also the Black Forest. 

     This shows some high water marks through history. The second highest mark is from 2013. The top of the arch of the doorway is about 15 feet. The Inn River comes from the Alps and the glaciers there. In cold winters with heavy spring rains the water has no where to go once it joins the Danube and it backs up. Very high. Until some taming for hydroelectric power the Inn was very rough and swift. The name does not refer to lodging but comes from a Romanian name meaning 'wild'. 

     The cathedral of Passau was not as large or ornate as Vienna but the paintings on the ceilings were stunning. 

     We had very light rain or mist at times during our 90 minute tour. No heavy rain periods but the cobblestones remained slippery. We had to walk carefully and slowly. Being in a group of old people meant we would do that anyway. Walking so slow also kept us from getting tired out. We also wandered about the shopping district after and made a tee-shirt purchase. Considered a high-end shopping area, the prices were not out of line. High, but...

     We headed back to the ship, had lunch and very quickly headed out on another tour. This one involved a bus to Scharding, a walk around the town, a stop to learn how to grind salt and spices together and then a cruise on the Inn along Bavaria. The cruise involved drinking a lot of beer, eating large, soft pretzles and taking shots of Jagermeister. It's been a very long time since we drank this much. We were lucky as the rain held off during the walk, poured very hard while on the boat under cover, then stopped when we had to disembark to the bus for the 40 minute trip to meet the ship again. The ship had moved again from Passau to Vilshofen while we were off her. 

     We learned a lot about salt mining in the region, the area's dominance in salt until the 16th century and more about the affects of the Inn on the region, both positive and destructive. Plus our guide, an Italian living in Bavaria, was hilarious. Great fun!

     The colors of the buildings indicate its purpose. What kind of shop it was.

     Higher high water marks than in Passau. Scharding is on the Inn River.

     Photos of recent floods. Not the highest levels ever.

     Besides mining salt they also quarried granite. We went to a granite museum. 😏 

     The Inn. 

     The boat we took on the Inn.

     Standing with one foot in Germany, one in Austria (left foot).

     5 bottles of beer for 4 people. Plus shots of Jagermeister. The original version. The real Budwieser is there, too. Much better. From the Czech Republic.

     Our table. Folks from New Hampshire.

     The town of Scharding from Austria.

     

     Our guide's comedy show continued on the bus to the ship. We were only aboard for a few minutes before departure. Then the evening information talk on the next day's activities followed by dinner. For the first time I did not have wine with dinner. Carol, of course, did. We did not stay up for the trivia contest. A long but fun day. Alcohol may have been involved in increasing our enjoyment.