It was another lazy morning “at sea” as we worked our way through the last portion of the Main-Danube Canal and entering the Danube River near Regensburg. People slept in, quietly read in the Cabaret Lounge or stayed in their rooms. We did all of the above! It was bright and sunny today with a promise of great weather (70 degrees) this afternoon in Regensburg. We had not expected to reach Regensburg until 1 PM with a walking tour scheduled for 2 PM, but lock traffic was lighter than expected and we arrived around 11AM, thus offering us some additional sightseeing time in old town which was only a 5 minute walk from our dockage.

Regensburg today has a population of about 150,000 with some 30,000 students. In the year 800 there were 23,000 people living here, so it has always been an important city. Probably it’s most famous landmark are the remains of the Porta Praetoria, the gate and tower of the Roman encampment that dates(179AD) back to the reign of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. There is also the Old Stone Bridge, spanning the Danube River that dates to the early 12th century.

But in some people’s minds the most important sight in Regensburg is the famous Sausage Kitchen (Wurstkuchl), located next to the Old Stone Bridge. This tiny restaurant is perhaps the oldest continuously open public restaurant in the world. Built in 1135 as a construction shack for the workers on the bridge it became a restaurant in 1146 and has been one since then. Their menu is simple: bratwurst plate (with 6 to 12 small sausages) with or without sauerkraut/potato salad and bread. Of course, beer is a necessary addition to any meal. Open from 8AM-7PM over 6,000 sausages a day are served either inside the tiny 35 seat restaurant or more likely on outdoor benches or take away.  There is always a long line for take-away sandwiches.

Given the new found extra time our goal became one of walking to the city and having lunch at the Sausage Kitchen, rather than eating on the ship. We tried the bratwursts yesterday in Nuremberg so we need to do a taste test here to see if their claim of having superior sausages is valid!

It was simply a glorious autumn day here. Leaves are starting to turn, the skies are blue and the sun is brilliant enough to warrant sunglasses. It was indeed only a 5 minute walk along the Danube River to reach town. Before grabbing lunch we went with Bruce & Jan to see St. Peter’s Cathedral where we happened to catch the end of the 10AM high mass being celebrated by a visiting Bishop. There was a massive choir and an organ that resounded throughout the church. Incense was in the air. The exit song was one I recognized even though it was being sung in German. It is a beautiful church with stained glass windows all around. Yvonne thinks it might be the best we have seen so far.

Knowing that people would be headed for lunch we hurried back to the waterfront to beat the crowd, only to find it was already teeming with people. Luckily I spotted a picnic bench that still had room for two people and we were allowed to join the communal tables. A gentlemen across from me was finishing his plate and kindly explained how the process worked. Sure enough, a waiter soon appeared and we placed our orders. By the time our orders arrived the table had cleared and two German couples joined us. They spoke English and we had a pleasant conversation about sausages, the restaurant, Seattle and a variety of other topics while we all consumed every last bit of our sausage plates. Who has better sausages- Nuremberg or Regensburg? In my opinion it is a tie; both serve marvelous bratwursts.

We returned to the ship to join the planned city walking tour at 2PM. Although we would be returning to the old town I was sure we would be learning a lot of history about the area and explanation of things we saw earlier this morning. As an example the stone bridge has been restored within the last few decades and now only allows foot and bicycle traffic. I also learned that the knights of the 2nd and 3rd Crusades crosses the Danube on this bridge.

Our guide took us to the site of the Roman fortress and the Porta Praetoria which we had not seen on our morning walk. She also walked us through several side streets and showed us where/how middle class and upper class lived back then. The best information she gave me was where to get the best ice cream in Regensburg.

Entertainment tonight was provided by a 5 piece Bavarian Brass Band who came on board for a short concert of typical Bavarian drinking and marching songs.

Our ship left at 10:30PM for our next port of call-Passau, Germany, the last German city we will be visiting before going to Austria.