Regensburg and Vilshofen - Day 4 Sunday February 11

There has been a decided change in the weather, and it is a chilly and rainy morning. But here is today’s cheery breakfast photo. Charlie and I both ordered the French Toast. We will miss breakfast at the Andaz.

We boarded the AMA Coach at 8 AM; it will take us (eventually) to join the AMAMagna. Bo, our cruise manager, tells us that we are the first people on the river this year.

En route, we stopped in Regensburg, Germany for a short guided walking tour, a welcome opportunity to stretch our legs. Come along on the tour:

Regensburg is home to one of the oldest restaurants in the world, the Sausage Kitchen. It was built in 1146 to feed stone masons who built the adjacent Stone Bridge. The present Sausage Kitchen, erected in the 17th Century, was the first stop on our tour.

And here is the Stone Bridge, considered a masterwork of medieval construction; it now serves as a symbol of the city. You will note that much of the bridge has been modernized over the centuries.

The bridge offered us some lovely (if chilly) views:

The clock tower welcomes visitors.

Regensburg is charming.

It is a city of many towers. The spirit of “Oneupmanship” is nothing new, and businesses competed to raise the highest tower.

I love that Goliath is resting his arm on the window ledge in this mural.

Porta Pratoria is the Roman gatehouse that dates to 179 AD.

We saw our first “stumbling stone” today. These markers are placed on the location where a citizen was taken away by the Nazis for extermination. As you bow your head to read the marker, you honor the life of the deceased. It is heartbreaking to see how many there are.

Our final stop on the tour was Dom Peter (St Peter’s Cathedral). We entered just after Mass ended to the sounds of the beautiful organ music; as soon as the music ended, the church lights were snapped off.

We were given some leisure time which I suggested to Charlie that we use to purchase Valentine's Day gifts. Why? Well, I have a vivid memory of enjoying the most delectable chocolates on our previous trip to Regensburg (#whyiwillneverbethin), so we made a pilgrimage to Confiserie Prinzess, where we bought one another some chocolate love.

It may not be coincidental that Don Juan is immortalized by this statue across the street.

We were asked to be back on the bus at 2.

At about 3:30, we arrived in the Bavarian town of Vilshofen for embarkation. Our luggage was whisked to our rooms (oh, the joy of not LUGGING the LUGGAGE is beyond words...although a grateful shout out to Shannon, my PT, for getting me back to lugging shape).

Welcome to our beautiful suite.

The water closet is a separate room and I have seen larger ones on airplanes.

I admit that this view beats the duck feet. We may be spoiled forever.

The good people of Vilshofen treated us to a mini-Oktoberfest Celebration, complete with music, beer, and pretzels. After a warm welcome by representatives from the city, we were treated to a performance of Bavarian folk music and dancing.

I really need to learn to drink beer.

Dinner tonight was in the ship's main dining room. We had salads, soups, and Charlie had short ribs and I had sea bass.

Afterwards, we went upstairs for a cocktail and some conversation with our friends.

We learned this evening that this is a very comfortable bed!

Photos are tagged Magna, Regensburg_2024 and Vilshofen