Day 6: Vilshofen, Passau

Gosh, by this time even I'm starting to forget what we did on the trip! May this blog help us remember, even decades from now.

Vision: A trip on the Danube River with Mom, who was recovering from brain cancer (primary CNS lymphoma). June 2015.

Last time (Day 5), we had finally made it to our cruise ship, the AmaSerena. Today (Day 6), the boat would actually move. But first, breakfast!

Mom enjoys a view of the Danube. On the sill is her cane: It transforms into a chair.

Here's (one of) my plate(s) for breakfast. I like the plating. Note my 4 beverages. From left to right, I think it's tomato juice, a smoothie, cranberry, and a mix.

So cute!

After breakfast, we had a chance to explore Vilshofen, Germany, where we were docked.

The Danube! It may not look like it, but the day was very bright.

Very bright. Or I have a hangover. (Mom, I didn't!)

"Settlers of Catan," the king of board games. Settlers is originally from Germany, where board games are much more popular than in America.

Auntie Nancy touches the Danube. Isn't it pretty?

That's our ship, the AmaSerena! Honestly, it doesn't look as nice in this photo as a big ocean liner. However, on the inside, the AmaSerena was quite nice. Also, unlike an ocean cruise, we never had to worry about seasickness!

On Day 1, Mom fell in Heathrow and her pinky started bleeding. She lost part of her nail, but by this time it had healed okay. Whew.

We had a nice German-themed lunch. Meanwhile, the ship finally moved (it works! whew!) and we sailed to Passau.

Woah! How'd the ship get so high?! Ok, we arrived in Passau, then hiked way up here. =)

A panoramic of Passau. Note the intersection of rivers.

To get to the vantage point above, a guide led our group. At the top, we split up, as some would stay for a drink, some would return right away. I dawdled a little, then I tried to catch up with the guided group. Just go back the way we came, right? But this path on the left looks neat, and I'll bet it connects up later….

A couple wrong turns later, I found myself on this road, all alone. Photo op!

Basically, there was a road that led up to the vantage point, but it came from the other side of the hill. So I ended up going down the wrong side, then tried to find my way back…

I should mention that each tour had these awesome walkie talkies. Everyone wore special headphones, and we could hear the guides even in a noisy environment.

So, I'm working my way back to where I think our boat is, and all of a sudden, I hear our guide on the radio! Where is he? Where's my group?

That's them, crossing the bridge! (The guy in the hat, on the right.)

They finished crossing! Wait for me!

Thankfully, tour guides often stop, to talk about the sights. With a little jogging, I caught up. Whew!

We wandered the streets of Passau.

The guide spoke of a beautiful church, so we headed there.

The church was white, and big. Again, I'm reminded of "Pillars of the Earth."

The detail in the ceilings is incredible. So much work. But it lasts hundreds of years. Was it worthwhile?

After this, I had free time. So, I went on a quest/mission. There's a card game I like, "Hanabi." I wanted the special German versions. I had a lead: It might be at a drugstore(?!) on the other side of town. Trek time!

Along the way, I saw this cafe, which reminded me of an old friend.

Here's the drugstore! Doesn't look like much….

This is (part of) their boardgame section. Wow.

Found it! Incidentally, "Hanabi" is Japanese, meaning "fireworks." I'm glad they kept the name in the U.S. and Germany. (It's a German-made game.)

Actually, this version of Hanabi is basically the same as in the U.S. I knew there were two other versions: An extra-large version, and an extra-small version. Long story short: I was told the extra-large version was at another drugstore, further across town! Trek again!

Along the way, I saw Woolworth?! The defunct mega department store?! (Check the link for more info.)

In hindsight, I really should have checked in Woolworth for Hanabi. Anyway, the other drugstore was nearby, and (long story short), I found "Hanabi Extra"!

Then there was this "funny" part where I got back to the dock, right when the ship was leaving without me. But it came back. (And I was way on time!)

Ok, time for dinner!

Sushi! A perfect complement to my "Hanabi" mission.

After dinner, we retired to the lounge. Each evening would have unique entertainment. Tonight was a mini musical opera.

The cast did a good job of working the audience. Auntie Nancy got to hold her hand!

Whew! Two cities in one day. I'm exhausted.

Next time: Day 7: Linz, Mondsee, Salzburg?!

Day 5: Prague, Regensburg, Vilshofen

Last time, we were in Prague. We walked Charles Bridge and shopped a little on the bridge. Then we found a secret garden with well-trimmed hedges, peacocks and a strange, gray grotto wall.

Today, it was time to leave Prague and go to our cruise ship!

As we said goodbye to our fancy hotel room in Prague, I noticed these flowers in a coke bottle. Did the staff do that? Ah, it was Auntie Nancy! A girl once gave me a flower in a coke bottle….

In a previous post, I wondered if the insects in Europe are the same as here. What about the trees? I heard of an iPhone app that can tell a tree from a photo of its leaves. So what's this tree?

The tree itself is below. It was a beautiful tree with room underneath for a couple of benches, and you could sit there protected from the sun/rain. If you ever want to find it, it was in the courtyard outside our hotel.

It was time to join our fellow cruisemates! They were staying at the "official" AmaWaterways hotel on the other side of town. We all boarded buses to take us from Prague to Regensburg to Vilshofen.

The countryside was much nicer than I expected. For some reason, I envisioned industrial/rocky landscapes. But as soon as we were out of the city, it reminded me of England or anywhere green in the U.S.

In fact, many years ago when I crossed the United States, I took photos of hay rolls just like that!

Look how far you can see! Makes you want to just run out there! (Or use a horse. =)

We stopped at a McDonald's, and boy was I excited! I don't even go to McDonald's much in the U.S. (I once had a Big Mac that gave me a tummy ache.) But it was like a little taste of home.

Auntie Nancy enjoying one of my fries.

The ship was in Vilshofen, but we stopped first in Regensburg, Germany as part of the cruise tour package.

Throughout the cruise, our tour guides would be top-notch. Here, our guide explains history using an extendable ruler. The ruler had 10 sections, and each section was labeled with 100 years of history. So one compact ruler covered 1000 years! Very cool.

I wanted some photos of Auntie Nancy interacting with our tour guide, but it was hard because the guide was very energetic and always moving. But this is a funny photo. At least when you see the one a split-second later.

Auntie Nancy thinks, "I don't want to eat that!"

We finished the tour at an amazing cathedral. It was like, "Pillars of the Earth"!

Auntie Nancy and I had been on the "regular" tour, while Mom and Mary had been on the "gentle walkers" tour. When we got to the cathedral, we saw Mary but not Mom, whom had been left alone on a bridge….

Auntie Nancy and I went back to find poor Mommy.

Found her! The cathedral's in the back. That water is the Danube! And that bridge is really old. Older than the entire United States, by far far. (Built in 1135–1146.)

Flowers in Regensburg. I was trying to find a particular color…

This color? Pretty flowers, nonetheless.

I really like the composition of this photo. What do you notice? The window in the upper-right with flowers? The small "hill" of a window in the top-center? I took it because of the nun working the rooftop garden.

The cathedral from another angle. It's amazing that human hands had to build that. Did they know it would still be standing today? 

Inside the cathedral. It's all amazing: The vaulted ceiling, the windows. But the tall columns really make my heart skip a beat.

This photo needs explanation. I took this because of the small sign hanging in the upper-left. The white one. It says, "Thurn and Taxis." Thurn and Taxis is a German noble family that helped develop the European postal system. There's a board game of the same name that I used to play, in which you build a postal route in European cities.

One of those cities is Regensburg! So to find a "Thurn and Taxis" in Regensburg, well, I had to take capture that.

The family also makes beer, which is the reason for the sign in this case. =)

Previously, I wondered about insects, then trees, in Europe vs. the U.S. Here we have insects and leaves! The fly on the right looks familiar! The one on the left looks scary. (Perhaps because it's not familiar? It's also bigger … and scarier …)

After Regensburg, we got back on the bus, to Vilshofen! There were appetizers and dessert waiting onboard.

This beautiful cake is made of marzipan. I felt bad being the first to cut it, but it was meant to be eaten … right?

Auntie Nancy enjoying the view.

Mom looks ready for our first meal of the cruise! Dinner!

Food was fancy. Look how it's plated! I'm just starting to learn about "plating," thanks to an anime called "Food Wars!" Sadly, I started watching after the cruise.

Whew! The 4 of us had made it to the ship, luggage intact, everyone healthy more-or-less. Let's get this boat moving!

Actually, the ship would stay anchored overnight! We had arrived in Vilshofen that evening, so we would tour the city tomorrow. Then, we'd finally be moving!

Next time: Vilshofen, Passau and …?