Danube - Germany Sept 2

Passau - Rest Day 

What a great village to have a rest day in.  We started the day with breakfast and this time they had scrambled eggs and bacon, a nice addition.

After breakfast we set out to get the bikes for the next legs of the trip.  We had to catch a bus and travel a bit out into the outskirts of Passau.  The bike guy was a typical German in that; you get it their way PERIOD.  When asking about a different seat, one that is less barkolounger-like, he said in his somewhat English...  if I do it for you I have to do it for all of them.  I told him that he was only dealing with me right now.  😊  and he actually changed it out...  The rest he was not so giving on.  He gave us a couple of tire levers and a patch kit.  When I asked for spare tubes he said nein...  If you get in trouble you call me, I come fix...  he said.  I told him, if you give us tubes we can fix it before we finish dialing you.  No was the answer.  His job was to come fix.  Doesn't make any sense but it was the German way (or no way)!

Once we got the bikes we went to St. Stephen's Cathedral.  They were having an organ recital at noon.  It was a treat but a bit much without the accompaniment of a mass or something.

One of the doors with ornate decorations to the cathedral.

One of the sections of the pipe organ.  It is supposedly the largest in the world with over 17,900 pipes around the cathedral.

The decoration of the walls and ceilings was amazingly beautiful.

And the degree of preservation of the murals and cornices was astounding.  Truly a treat that you have to see.

Passau is a city at the juncture of three rivers.  It is surrounded by water on almost all sides.

On the wall of the steeple to the right of the picture you can see the high water marks of the floods over the centuries.  The highest mark was in 1501 and the second highest mark was 2013.

We will be setting out tomorrow on the second leg of our journey.  It will take us out of Germany and into Austria.