Our tour would be about two hours long, and we would be back aboard for the cook out on the forward deck. Boris would be cooking hot dogs and hamburgers. As we took to the narrow cobblestone streets sans sidewalks, the feeling was almost claustrophobic. (I sometimes suffer from this phobia.) The white buildings were brilliant in the sunlight. It was the first time I had seen buttresses between buildings. We had frequently seen flying buttresses of gothic cathedrals where the walls are supported by the earth, but these were different.
The street we were on led to a wide plaza. On one side was the Danube River but on the other was the City Hall of Passau. It was an impressive structure with a clock tower. According to the "Measure" app on my phone it was 225 feet tall. The Rathaus (City Hall) was built in 1398. On the side of the building the residents have been recording the level to which the Danube has flooded since 1501. The highest mark was in 2013. Virtually every town on the river has a high water mark on some wall. The mural over the windows of City Hall depict the reign of Frederick II of Prussia. He was the major monarch of the Hohenzollern dynasty. I'm pretty sure he was the emperor who had the tallest men in his empire for palace guards. They were known as the giants of Frederick the Great. The Hohenzollern dynasty ruled Prussia from 1415 until 1918. As luck would have it, we were on the Rathausplatz at 10:30 a.m. when the glockenspiel was played. The bells rung out in the clear morning air and drowned out any commentary of our guide.
Greta led us into the interior of the pale yellow City Hall. We entered the actual chamber that is used by the local government. We thought we could sit in any of the chairs but found out that those at the head table were not to be used by tourists. The tables which were aligned together seemed to be of a modern style. The walls were decorated with paintings by Ferdinand Wagner.
Back on the street we walked uphill before going downhill to the river. But it was not the Danube, it was the Inn. While we were on the banks of the Inn, Claudette discovered she was missing her hat. She retraced her steps to City Hall while we followed a zig-zag street to higher ground. The nice receptionist was holding it for her. We emerged on a large plaza. On our left was the former home of the prince-bishop who once ruled the area. These men were initially bishops of the Catholic Church who obtained the title of prince from a local monarch. Hence, they become known as prince-bishops but their titles were not hereditary . Only the entranceway was accessible to us, but we were able to observe the beautiful staircase and the interesting fresco on the ceiling above. By this time Claudette had rejoined us. Steve and I had trailed the tour group waiting for her.
Our guide Greta led us along the cobblestoned streets toward Saint Stephen's Cathedral. It loomed up ahead with some scaffolding around the exterior of the apse. So often in our travels major structures of interest have scaffolding attached for restoration or maintenance purposes. St. Stephen's was no different. The entry of this cathedral, named for the first Christian martyr, faces a plaza with a statue in the center of it. The church was built in the Baroque style. This style is characterized by more color and more light in the interior. We thought it was great! Claudette decided that it was our second most favorite cathedral after La Sagrada Famelia in Barcelona. It was so very bright, airy, and very colorful. I thought the golden pulpit was a bit much, but I was impressed by the 17,974 pipes of the pipe organ. To me, pipe organs are where art and mechanical wizardry merge. We were fortunate to hear a concert by the organist while we were there. After the concert we visited the gift shop. I wanted to buy a postage stamp. Along with drawings I add postage stamps, beer labels, and other ephemera to my sketchbooks. Fortunately another tourist was able to translate for me. Although my ancestors immigrated from Germany in the eighteenth century I have no facility with that language.
Our guided tour was over, and we had a leisurely stroll back to the ship. The cook-out was in progress with hot dogs, hamburgers, and barbeque. Later in the afternoon we sailed. At dinner the bakers presented a cake with an American flag on it. We Americans sang our national anthem and God Bless America. There were toasts and the decorative cake was consumed.
Greta led us into the interior of the pale yellow City Hall. We entered the actual chamber that is used by the local government. We thought we could sit in any of the chairs but found out that those at the head table were not to be used by tourists. The tables which were aligned together seemed to be of a modern style. The walls were decorated with paintings by Ferdinand Wagner.
Back on the street we walked uphill before going downhill to the river. But it was not the Danube, it was the Inn. While we were on the banks of the Inn, Claudette discovered she was missing her hat. She retraced her steps to City Hall while we followed a zig-zag street to higher ground. The nice receptionist was holding it for her. We emerged on a large plaza. On our left was the former home of the prince-bishop who once ruled the area. These men were initially bishops of the Catholic Church who obtained the title of prince from a local monarch. Hence, they become known as prince-bishops but their titles were not hereditary . Only the entranceway was accessible to us, but we were able to observe the beautiful staircase and the interesting fresco on the ceiling above. By this time Claudette had rejoined us. Steve and I had trailed the tour group waiting for her.
Our guide Greta led us along the cobblestoned streets toward Saint Stephen's Cathedral. It loomed up ahead with some scaffolding around the exterior of the apse. So often in our travels major structures of interest have scaffolding attached for restoration or maintenance purposes. St. Stephen's was no different. The entry of this cathedral, named for the first Christian martyr, faces a plaza with a statue in the center of it. The church was built in the Baroque style. This style is characterized by more color and more light in the interior. We thought it was great! Claudette decided that it was our second most favorite cathedral after La Sagrada Famelia in Barcelona. It was so very bright, airy, and very colorful. I thought the golden pulpit was a bit much, but I was impressed by the 17,974 pipes of the pipe organ. To me, pipe organs are where art and mechanical wizardry merge. We were fortunate to hear a concert by the organist while we were there. After the concert we visited the gift shop. I wanted to buy a postage stamp. Along with drawings I add postage stamps, beer labels, and other ephemera to my sketchbooks. Fortunately another tourist was able to translate for me. Although my ancestors immigrated from Germany in the eighteenth century I have no facility with that language.
Our guided tour was over, and we had a leisurely stroll back to the ship. The cook-out was in progress with hot dogs, hamburgers, and barbeque. Later in the afternoon we sailed. At dinner the bakers presented a cake with an American flag on it. We Americans sang our national anthem and God Bless America. There were toasts and the decorative cake was consumed.
