Monthly Archives: September 2020

Danube Maritime Museum, Locking on river cruises, Regensburg BMW plant, Walhalla

Up the river to Regensburg; the bratwurst quest continues!

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Today, the Princess was scheduled to arrive at Regensburg at 9 AM. On the way, our ship traveled through a stretch of the Danube that was both scenic and industrial. Although the Danube and Rhine are blessed with much beautiful scenery, many manufacturing plants are also located along their banks. Most river cruise lines see to it that their ships pass these areas when it is dark out, but this can’t always be arranged. For centuries, the Rhine, in particular, has provided a convenient method of transportation for many commodities, and this continues today. However, river cruising has become so popular in recent years that the cruise ships outnumber barges in certain areas.

One of the industrial areas we sailed past during the day.

The Princess would also go through several locks that day. One thing the Rambler has learned is that the Danube is the 2nd longest river in Europe, as the longest is the Volga. However, most of the Danube’s length is eastward as it flows through the Eastern Europe and ends in the Black Sea, and it has relatively few locks. At this point we were almost at its western end in Bavaria.

The Princess would travel through 67 locks on our 15 day cruise between Vienna and Amsterdam. As we are still on the Danube, most of them are ahead of us on the Main and Rhine Rivers as well as the Rhine Main canal. Although our ship would go through many locks at night, the passengers would become very familiar with the daytime locking procedure on this cruise. The stop and go of locking at night, a rare bump or thump and the extremely bright lights that surround a lock, would sometimes wake the Rambler briefly.

Here two of the crew are getting the ropes ready to tie up our ship in the lock. Another ship is already tied up on the right side.
If you look on the left side of this photo, you can see our captain carefully steering our ship through the lock basin as the Princess prepares to enter the lock.

Locking is a stressful time for the Captain and hard work for the crewmen who must tie up and then release the ropes as the ship enters and leaves the lock. Why stressful for the Captain? Because he must carefully pilot the ship into often very narrow channels without bumping into either the lock walls, another ship or even worse, the lock itself. That is why the locks are always brightly lit at night. A month earlier, a ship had damaged the Regensburg lock and ships had to be briefly re-routed. Fortunately the lock was repaired by the time the Princess arrived.

How narrow are the locks? Pretty narrow… The maximum beam of a river boat is capped at 38 ft. or 11.45 meters, because the locks are 12 meters or 40 ft. wide. This is the width of the lock itself, although some locks have a much wider basin that allows multiple ships to wait inside, however they all have to go through one by one. Many locks are only 40 ft. wide overall, and the Captain must keep his boat from banging the lock walls until it is securely tied. This process is often complicated by turbulence as the water goes in or out of the lock. Thus many river cruisers have dents or streaks along their sides from bumping into the lock walls. On our Uniworld cruises, our ships only got scraped a few time, once when a junior captain was at the helm. ( He never got to take the helm during locking on the rest of the cruise!) As soon as they had an opportunity, the crew launched our ship’s small inflatable boat, and motored to the scraped area and quickly repaired and repainted it.

an older river cruise boat, long and narrow it only has a sundeck and two lower decks. Perhaps because it is so low, it does look extra narrow.

Once in a while, you see an older river cruise boat which seems to be even narrower than the newest river cruisers still only 38.5 wide, if their route takes them through locks. The Ramblers think this is a good thing as their relatively small size is one element that separates river cruising from ocean cruising. Some companies have built longer ships to provide more space for passengers, and one company has a double wide ship, but it is limited to a part of the Danube without locks . The Viking ships are all over 400 ft. long and carry close to 200 passengers and Uniworld has several super ships over 400 ft. However river ships have a length limit as well or they would have trouble maneuvering around tight bends and wouldn’t fit in the smaller locks.

The Princess is waiting for a barge to clear the lock before she gets the green light to enter.

The lock and canal system on the Rhine/Main/Danube completed in 1992, has benefited its economy in several ways. Not only does it provide relatively inexpensive transport of bulk materials including grain, ore, scrap metal, and liquid fuel to name a few. In the last 20 years, river cruising has brought increasing numbers of tourists to the Rhine, Danube, Rhone, Saone and Main Rivers as they are the most suited to cruising. Locks and canals have tamed their currents and provided a minimum depth except in very dry years. The dams connected with many locks also furnish an excellent source of hydroelectric power. One of the few negatives resulting from canal construction has been the entry of invasive species , while some mourn the passing of the “wild rivers” of the past. However, the water is amazingly clear in many areas and there are many campgrounds along the rivers where people boat, fish and even swim, despite a sometimes swift current and passing ships.

Because the Ramblers visited Regensburg several years ago, this blog takes a different look at this part of the Danube. And now, a look at Regensburg and the surrounding area. First off, Regensburg is much more than the historic district; it is the 4th largest city in Bavaria. It has been an important destination since Roman times, and was both a political and intellectual center during the Middle Ages and the capital of Bavaria for four centuries.

Today it is a cosmopolitan university center with outstanding programs in music education and polytechnic studies. However, Regensburg also employs more than 100,000 people in light engineering, electronics and vehicle industries. International firms including Siemens, Toshiba and BMW have factories in Regensburg and today our cruisers would have an opportunity to tour the BMW plant.

Walhalla from the Danube, the dock isn’t visible but local tour boats stop there.

On the way to Regensburg we cruised past a beautiful Greek temple, a copy of the original Pantheon, built high on a hill above the Danube. Although we didn’t stop there, the Rambler learned that this imposing edifice was Walhalla, built in the 19th century between 1830 and 1842 by Ludwig of Bavaria to honor famous Germans and those who spoke a Germanic tongue. It holds over 65 plaques and 180 busts covering over 2,000 years of Germanic history. Busts are still being added to this pantheon, a mix of scientists, writers and clerics, both men and women.

Aerial view of Walhalla, thanks to Wikipedia. As you can see, it is much larger than it appeared from the river side.

The complex, and it a quite a large one with extensive grounds, has received many 5 star reviews and is highly recommended And the entry fee is modest, only 4.50 Eu plus 2.50 for parking.

The last time we visited Regensburg, our ship docked on the other side of the river near the old stone bridge which dates from the 12th century. At that time, the bridge was in the process of renovation, and we had to zigzag our way across it to the historic district, however we were then right in front of the alstadt. Today we docked on the historic district side, although quite a distance from its entrance, but no bridge crossing necessary.

One of the highlights of the Regensburg stop, is a visit to the BMW factory, a huge series of buildings a short bus ride away from the historic district. Last time we went right from the historic district to the plant, missing lunch. There were no snacks, not even water, available inside the plant until the end of the tour which lasted over 2 hours. The Ramblers along with the rest of our tour group, were tired, thirsty and hungry when we got back to our ship. The Ramblers had a sandwich in the bar onboard but others stayed in town for lunch. Fortunately, this year, passengers had a choice of the historic district tour OR the BMW factory visit, much more sensible to chose one rather than do both back to back

Hail falling in July! It made the gang plank quite slippery for a while until it melted. Luckily the ship matched up well with the river here, so no steep up or down hill..

The senior Rambler didn’t want to tour this cloudy, chilly morning and just as the city tour group was assembling, it started to hail. An amazing amount of hail hit the ground and the gangplank, and this was followed by rain. The Rambler decided she wouldn’t join the tour group but would take a stroll when the rain ended which it was supposed to do shortly. So, I sat by the exit door and had fun watching the crew take the clean laundry on board. The sheets and pillowcases were wrapped in tidy plastic bundles and the housekeeping staff set up a chain of available people to catch the laundry bundles, making a game of what could have been boring work. Even the Captain got involved for a little bit.

The housekeeping staff is having fun getting the laundry on board.

Sheets on board, the rain stopped and the Rambler set out for the historic district, at least a half mile away, passing a long string of docked river cruisers.

The older steam tug was built in Austria but was then sold to a Hungarian company thus it has two names.

On the way she noticed two old ships docked near the historic district. They were part of the Danube ship museum which looked interesting but was not open at the time. She learned later that these two boats, the Ruthof/Ersekosanad and the Freudenau made up a museum complex founded in 1979 and opened in 1983. Today the museum is maintained by volunteers and contains a variety of exhibits relating to the maritime history of the Danube. The Ersekosanad, a steam tug, has quite a checkered history; built in 1923, it actually spent a dozen years underwater until it was raised and restored. The newer Freudenau is diesel powered and can sometimes be found motoring along the Danube on short trips.

Slowly the Rambler got ever closer to her goal, the Wurstkuchl, “sausage kitchen) which lays claim to being the oldest fast food restaurant in the world.

The Wurstkuchl was open but the Rambler again did not take advantage of her opportunity to try the famous Regensburger sausages.

Regensburger sausages are famous, but the Ramblers had to pass by the sausage kitchen the last time as they were headed to the BMW plant. This time, the Rambler was on her own and had plenty of time to try their famous bratwurst. How would it compare to others she had tasted? Alas when she reached her goal, the gloomy skies foretold more rain and even more telling, the senior Rambler was not available to kibitz. Sadly, she only took a photo of the restaurant, admired the restored Stone Bridge, and trudged back to the ship. Surely she would find another place in Bavaria to enjoy bratwurst, but today was not the day.

The old stone bridge attracts many visitors. Only small boats can travel under it as the arches rest on massive stone foundations under the water. The Princess would have to go around.
Anna Rosmus, "Out of Passau", Hofgut Hafnerleiten, St. Stephens's Church, Veste Oberhaus

Passau, a beautiful city with a dark secret…

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During Wednesday afternoon and thru the night, the River Princess cruised the Danube towards the German border and the town of Passau. Since river boats glide along rather than speeding and it was a fair distance to our next stop, we spent the evening looking at delightful vistas on both sides, until well after sunset. We then went to bed soothed by the gentle motion of our ship. We would not arrive at Passau until early afternoon on Thursday.

As the sun set, the small towns along the shore were silhouetted against the sky, and a few light gradually appeared in some of the buildings.

The Ramblers had visited Passau twice before. On our previous Danube cruise, it was our last stop, because of low water between Passau and Regensburg. In fact, we were bussed to Passau as the Maria Theresa slowly made her way through the very shallow water and then could go no further. However, our first cruise, Christmas Markets on the Danube in 2014, ended in Passau and we then flew home from Munich. This was only a year after the 500 year flood that hit the area in 2013.

The Rhine floods on an average, every 5 years, tho most times, it is not disastrous. Passau is especially susceptible to flooding as three rivers meet within its boundaries, the black Ilz, the green Inn and of course, the blue Danube! A marker every guide points out is the flood chart painted on the wall of city hall in the historic district near the river. The 2013 flood came in just under the historic flood of 1501. As you can see, the water came up to the third story of many buildings close to the Danube,

In 2014, flood damage was still visible on some of the buildings but all had been repaired by 2019.

The reason many river cruises either begin or end at Passau is because cruising that part of the Danube is both scenic and popular. As a result, the docking pontoons are usually full. Most cruises last for a week, and it takes a week to get from Budapest to Passau or the reverse, so this makes sense. Passau was a very popular destination in early July of 2019. Of course, July is a also the vacation month for many Germans and Austrians and other Europeans. Thus there was a constant stream of busses loading and unloading tourists on the plaza facing the historic district in front of the Danube while we were there.

The intrepid bicyclists ready to leave Engelhartzell for their ride along the River Inn

Before we got to Passau, the River Princess made another technical stop at Englehartzell, to drop off the cruisers who were going to bicycle along the river. Not the Danube this time, but mostly along the River Inn which would also take them to Passau by a different and very scenic route. The River Princess like all Uniworld ships, has excellent bicycles available for those who want a more active tour. In this case, they would cycle for about 28 km/18 miles and eventually meet the Princess in Passau. Their guides were waiting when the ship arrived and the group was away by 9 AM.

The Hofgut Hafnerleiten is set in the idyllic Bavarian countryside; it is a small hotel restaurant with cooking school attached. Jean raved about the setting.

Another small group also left at Englehartzell for a much different experience, a Bavarian Country Cooking Class. This was a fairly pricey Masterpiece Collection experience at $250 Euros a person. Being familiar with German/Austrian country cooking, the Rambler had no desire to try this one, but Jean, one of our Aussie friends, took it and enjoyed it very much. Of course it wasn’t just any cooking class, it was taught by Michelin chef Erwin at the beautiful Hofgut Hafnerleiten. Chef Erwin and his wife have created a small hotel and cooking school in the beautiful Bavarian countryside. Researching it for this blog entry, it looked like a very lovely spot.

Here is a photo I found of the guests preparing a meal in the court yard. Our cruisers found it very enjoyable although the sometimes had problems understanding their hosts as none spoke German.

The rest of us continued on to Passau where we would meet our guide, Elizabeth, next to the dock. We were fortunate to have her, as not only was she an excellent guide but she led us gentle walkers at a sedate pace through some beautiful places. And, at end of our tour, we learned that she was a singer and actress, and happily serenaded us with the”Sound of Music!” It was a great treat. But before that she led us through a beautiful garden, we got a look at the amazing ceiling in the Bishop’s Palace and learned alot about St. Stephens.

St. Stephen’s cathedral is a beautiful baroque edifice, famous for its magnificent organ which has 17,974 pipes. It was once the largest in the world but is still the largest in Europe and has a marvelous sound. The Ramblers had enjoyed a concert of organ music on our last visit, but no concert was scheduled that afternoon. Yet, in some ways, this was a good thing as we got to walk around and admire the interior and learn about St. Stephens construction when it was not full of people. And believe me, the concerts draw a crowd.

One of the many beautiful gardens in the historic district
The am amazing ceiling in he Bishop’s Palace, gorgeous frescoes and plaster-work. Trying to get a good photo was a dizzying experience.
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This is a very beautiful church, and for once it wasn’t crowded with people for the organ concert. This gave us time to enjoy the church and say a prayer or two and light a candle.
Elizabeth serenading her gentle walker group at the end of the tour.

Finally we regrouped outside the cathedral where Elizabeth sang for us and then bid us adieu to much applause. We gentle walkers then had a relative short downhill stroll back to the Danube and the River Princess. It is hard to get lost in the Passau historic district; if you walk downhill, you will eventually get to the river. On the way back, the Rambler stopped at Simon’s bakery one street over from the river to buy some of their amazing gingerbread to bring home.

Veste Oberhaus, high above the town. In this photo you can see the remnants of the medieval and later additions to the fortress. It served the Holy Roman Empire as ;protection for this very strategic area.

While we were taking in historic Passau, yet another group had a much more strenuous experience; a hike to the Veste Oberhaus, a 14th century fortress that overlooks the town on the other side of the river. They would then cross back over to the historic district. Obviously not all the people on our cruise were slow movers, as quite a few opted to hike up to the fortress which must have had an amazing view. They then had a chance to explore the town as we would not set sail for Regensburg until 6 PM.

However, before ending this blog, after much thought, the Rambler felt she must add something about Passau’s dark history in the recent past. I learned about it after our second visit, and this time, there is no way I can avoid writing about it. With all the turmoil in 2020 about how to address unpleasant aspects of a country’s history, Passau has decided to simply forget about what happened there during Hitler’s Third Reich.

Passau is a lovely town and a delightful place to visit but it has ties to Hitler and his policies. As Hitler had lived in Passau as a boy, it became a pilgrimage site during the Third Reich. There were certainly quite a few Nazis living here as well as two small concentration camps nearby. When Anna Rosmus discovered and wrote about Passau under Hitler as a high school student, most of the townspeople were very angry. This was not the image of their town they wanted to display.

Rosmus went on to research and write about Passau under Hitler and published a well-received book about the period called, “Out of Passau.” For her efforts, she has been reviled and even received death threats but this has not stopped her. In 1990, her work was featured in a movie called “The Nasty Girl.” The book is readily available if you are interested. Rosmus continues to work against the Neo-Nazi movement in Germany. She is not welcomed by many in her home town.

Of course there is much more good in Passau’s past than evil, and the Bavarians’ who live there would obviously prefer it was forgotten. In truth, there is little left to see of these dark days, but should it be entirely glossed over?

This cruise will take us to at least one other city that has had to deal with its past under Hitler. Nurnberg took quite a different path. I leave it to you to decide which way is best. I expect that the only time Nazis might be mentioned in Passau today would be on a Jewish tour of the city, but not on the many tours led by guides from the various river cruise companies.

PS. Looked to see if there were any Jewish history tours of Passau; the only one I found had nothing about Passau under the Third Reich in it’s description.