Out of the Jurisdiction: Regensburg

 

Regensburg is entered across a 12th century stone bridge.

The town hall is the yellow building straight ahead.  

Regensburg is pedestrian and bicycle friendly.

A small dog waited patiently for its master to return.

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I came across several "stolpersteins," 4"x4" brass plaques first designed by the artist Gunter Demnig and placed at exactly the last place of an individual's residency – or, sometimes, work – that was freely chosen by the person before they fell victim to Nazi terror, forced euthanasia, eugenics, deportation to a concentration or extermination camp, or escaped persecution by emigration or suicide.  A recent count indicates that more than 100,000 stolpersteins have been placed worldwide.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Passau

 In Passau we ran out of water deep enough to continue, so we had to be bused to Regensburg and then Nuremberg, where we boarded a sister ship of our first ship.  A small nuisance but well handled.

Before all this, we got to walk around the fine old town of Passau, which is at the confluence of the Danube and two other rivers.  This is Passau's town hall.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Melk Abbey

 The 11th century Melk Abbey is a massive Benedictine monastery standing high above the Danube.  The library and the baroque church are jaw-droppers.  Unfortunately, photography is not permitted inside the buildings, so here is a sampling of exterior views.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Dürnstein

The blue tower of Dürnstein Abbey catches travelers' attention in the Wachau segment of the Danube.

The church is both simple -- white walls -- and beautifully lush and ornate.

Dürnstein is a lovely small town that pulls in a tremendous number of tourists.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Schönbrunn Palace

 There are many great things about river cruises as a way of seeing Europe, but a negative is that time in each place is limited and a traveler must choose what to see and what to skip.

I had been to Vienna before, so I skipped some of the usual highlights and went to Schönbrunn Palace, one of the grotesquely overbuilt and ornate summer homes of the Habsburg rulers.   The palace has 1,441 rooms (no typo); 40 are open for the public to see, though photography is prohibited.

OK, maybe I am grumpy today, but I have a limited interest is seeing one portrait after another of the rather homely Habsburgs over the centuries, and the famed gardens seemed to feature gravel.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Bratislava

 A walk through the old city of Bratislava, the capital of the newish country of Slovakia, capped by a glutinously sized pastry.

From the Danube we admired the castle on a hill above the city as we departed.  Bratislava was home to the rulers of the Habsburg Empire for centuries.  The rulers were crowned at St. Martin Church between 1563 and 1830.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Leaving Budapest

Sailing past the Hungarian Parliament Building on the way out of Budapest.