Regensburg

We spent our second day of the river cruise in Regensburg.  Every time we arrived at a new location, I immediately searched for the name on something so I could take a pic of it and would know where the pictures were taken.  It turns out that the first thing I found in Regensburg with the town's name on it was a manhole cover.

It was convenient to tour this town because our boat was docked right at the old city center.

And when I say old, I mean ancient.

During the reign of Marcus Aurelius, the Romans settled a legion here in 179 AD when they built the town known as Castra Regina.  Below are the remains of a fortress tower and archway incorporated into more modern buildings.

German wall art near the old Roman fortress - gotta love it.

The bridge below that spans the Danube isn't quite as old, but it does date to the 12th century.  It's called the stone bridge - bet you can figure out why.  It's pretty cool because at the base of the bridge are these wide, diamond shaped structures that are supposed to help break up ice floes in the winter and divert debris away from the supports during floods.  Obviously the medieval folk weren't complete idiots.  

The pics above are of the husband with his back to the bridge and then on the bridge where only pedestrian and bike traffic are allowed.  Shortly after it was built, knights from the second and third crusades crossed this bridge on their way to the holy land.  How awesome is that?!

As usual, I found the buildings very interesting.

I love how the Germans utilize every bit of space.  Where, exactly, would the attic be located?

You can definitely see a bit of an Italian influence in some buildings since this was an important trade center in the late middle ages.

Back in Texas, some people use longhorn cattle as pricey yard art.  In Germany, they just stick carved critters above entry ways.  They don't eat much.


And, of course, every town of any size has their very own Ratskeller - a bar or restaurant located in the basement of city hall.  Once again, you can see a bit of an Italian influence in this public building.

The final stop on our walking tour of Regensburg was the Dom, or gothic cathedral.  Construction began in the 13th century and it was finally finished a mere 600 years later with the addition of the towers.  You can definitely tell it took a while to complete this place - check out all of the different varieties of stone used on the facade.

I took the pic below because you can tell they're in the process of cleaning the exterior - creamy white above and blackened, dirty stone below.

I have no clue what or who is represented in the statue below as part of the cathedral's decoration.  It looks as if this guy with the crown and sword is riding sidesaddle on a lioness.  Biblical or historical reference?  No clue.

Always in search of his next beer and sausage meal, the husband chowed down on lunch at Historiche Wurstkuche.  He gobbled up a plate of finger-sized sausages grilled over a beechwood fire with a side of sauerkraut and sweet grainy mustard.  And washed it down with a dark beer - prost!  


According to the signs, this is supposedly the world's oldest sausage kitchen since it has been in business at this location on the banks of the Danube with a view of stone bridge since 1135.  Maybe crusaders stopped here for a bite to eat - gotta keep up their strength to slay the infidels.