¡Ay! So much to catch up on. We're about to leave the womb of our Viking mother... sob. Taxi to train station, store our luggage in its capacious lockers, and spend another 4 hours in the great city of Nuremberg before boarding for the short trip to Würzburg, where we'll stay tonight. But I must go back...
Paul left you in Passau, again with inadequate information. That was our first stop across the German border, a picture-postcard town. The Old Town lay on a peninsula at the confluence of three rivers and hence was subject to repeated flooding. But it looked perfect, rebuilt in the 18th century in Italian Baroque style, with many subtle variations of pastels (no photos, alas). Great counterpoint to overweening Vienna... We were in such good spirits but also so chilly that we impulse-bought two yummy glove-leather jackets there (see mine in photos). I lost Paul at a later point, enraptured by the sight of an old Chevy.
On to Regensburg, which smoked even Passau (and is the site of my future home). These Krauts really have their act together: their high taxes are put to great use with meticulously maintained historical edifices, lovely green spaces, public services galore. Makes me feel ashamed of our graffiti-riddled, homeless-thronged, captalism-run-amock Seattle. (Not that graffiti was totally lacking, but it seemed of a higher class, somehow. See examples.) We took an extended tour there focusing on the Jewish population's plight. As we'd seen in Cologne, the names of people killed by Nazis are commemorated near their former residences by engraved brass cobblestones. Schoolchildren are systematically taught the lessons of former aggression (apparently it didn't take for the Skinheads) by visiting concentration camps and other remains.
One of the many great points about Germany for me is that wine is cheaper than beer! And always a generous pour. But the beer is intoxicatingly good, too. We'll need detox in about a month...
Next up: Nuremberg.
Passau Photos:
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| Old Dude in old car in Passau |
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| Girl in new jacket, and bike |
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| Jewels |
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| Postal Bike |
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| German graffiti |
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| More |
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