Linz, Austria - Regensburg, Germany

Sunday 11th July 1999

After a couple of aborted attempts today we finally headed out of Austria and into Germany. Our first stop was Passau, just across the border. We found a spot in a car park near the centre of town and were greeted by the sight of a well-dressed elderly man urinating against a concrete pillar, right next to the parked cars. Upon finishing he turned and rejoined his wife and grown-up children, waiting patiently a short distance away, and they continued on their way to church. The continental habit of taking a piss whenever and where-ever you feel the urge was still something of a shock to us.

Putting this behind us we headed up for a short stroll around the town. Passau is an attractive enough city, lying at the confluence of three rivers and with an imposing castle looming over the town, but there wasn't too much to delay us for long. We had a quick look in the cathedral, home to the world's largest pipe organ with 17774 pipes, and around the rest of the old town, before heading back to the van.

We drove out of town and stopped a little way further along the Danube for lunch. An attractive spot apart from the huge motorway bridge cutting through the old town nearby. We then continued for our main destination of Regensburg.

We arrived quite late in the afternoon and so headed straight for the highlight, the Alte Kapelle. A small chapel dating from the 8th to the 15th centuries and featuring an incredibly elaborate rococo interior. Unfortunately it was undergoing a major restoration so we had to peek through bars at the ends of the aisles. All the same it was an impressive sight.

We then rushed across through the light rain to the cathedral, catching it just before closing. It was nice but not in the same league as the chapel. After being ejecting from the cathedral we waited for the rain to subside then started to explore the rest of the city. Regensburg boasts a tremendous collection of medieval buildings and it was a delight to wander the streets. After a short time of this we came across one of the squares and discovered a festival in full swing, with food and drink stalls and live music. We stayed a little longer taking in the ambience then wandered some more through the city before finally heading back to the van.

We ended up a little further along the Danube, stopping just beside the road.