Passau, Germany
The River Cloud remained at her berth throughout the previous evening. We docked at the confluence of River Inn, which empties its glacial waters into the Danube from the Alps. Located slightly downriver from the confluence of the River Inn and the Danube River is the River Ilz, which is a tannin rich river getting its black color from the Bavarian Forest, where this river originates. The city of Passau lies near the eastern side of Bavaria, but still holds all the cultural aspects of being in one of the three distinct states of southern Germany. It is also a community, like many along the Danube River, in that it has been settled for hundreds of years.
Our staff offered several different ways to explore this typically Bavarian community. Some of us took an opportunity to walk up to the Veste Oberhaus, a fort located 400 feet above the city giving great views of the mixing of waters at the confluence of the three rivers. The hike was about 1.5 miles walking through town, across a bridge, and up through a slightly forested hillside and into the fort complex.
Another group headed into town to the Wilder Man Hotel and one of the world’s largest collection of Bohemian glass. Georg Höltl began his collection in 1972 and found within 25 years he had accumulated enough pieces to begin what today is more than 30,000 pieces of some of the finest examples of Bohemian Glassware known in the world. The hotel is a labyrinth of floors. Following the signs we made our way from the 4th floor at the top of the hotel to street level, marveling at every corner the unique and vastness of Mr. Höltl’s collection.
As each group finished their morning activity a highlight was the daily organ concert at St. Stephen’s Cathedral. It began at 12:00pm, giving everyone plenty of time to enjoy the music and return in time to watch the River Cloud as she departed from Passau and continued her journey down river. After lunch, we were invited up on deck for our first chance for a relaxing cruise along the Danube River. We were headed for our third country of this voyage, Austria, and one of the many famous stretches along the Danube called the Schlögener Schlinge. This spot of the river turns back on itself creating a very tight and nearly u-shaped turn in the waterway. The Danube River is the second longest river in Europe, after the Volga of Russia. It travels from west to east, in effect from the occident to the orient. Its source is in the Black Forest of Southwestern Germany and it empties into the Black Sea after traveling 1,770 miles. We entered our first of fifteen locks this afternoon, dropping the River Cloud only 30 feet which gave each of us a small taste of the length of the Danube, and the many countries and cultures we would be experiencing during our cruise of just 8 days, touching only a small part of this long and ancient river.
The River Cloud remained at her berth throughout the previous evening. We docked at the confluence of River Inn, which empties its glacial waters into the Danube from the Alps. Located slightly downriver from the confluence of the River Inn and the Danube River is the River Ilz, which is a tannin rich river getting its black color from the Bavarian Forest, where this river originates. The city of Passau lies near the eastern side of Bavaria, but still holds all the cultural aspects of being in one of the three distinct states of southern Germany. It is also a community, like many along the Danube River, in that it has been settled for hundreds of years.
Our staff offered several different ways to explore this typically Bavarian community. Some of us took an opportunity to walk up to the Veste Oberhaus, a fort located 400 feet above the city giving great views of the mixing of waters at the confluence of the three rivers. The hike was about 1.5 miles walking through town, across a bridge, and up through a slightly forested hillside and into the fort complex.
Another group headed into town to the Wilder Man Hotel and one of the world’s largest collection of Bohemian glass. Georg Höltl began his collection in 1972 and found within 25 years he had accumulated enough pieces to begin what today is more than 30,000 pieces of some of the finest examples of Bohemian Glassware known in the world. The hotel is a labyrinth of floors. Following the signs we made our way from the 4th floor at the top of the hotel to street level, marveling at every corner the unique and vastness of Mr. Höltl’s collection.
As each group finished their morning activity a highlight was the daily organ concert at St. Stephen’s Cathedral. It began at 12:00pm, giving everyone plenty of time to enjoy the music and return in time to watch the River Cloud as she departed from Passau and continued her journey down river. After lunch, we were invited up on deck for our first chance for a relaxing cruise along the Danube River. We were headed for our third country of this voyage, Austria, and one of the many famous stretches along the Danube called the Schlögener Schlinge. This spot of the river turns back on itself creating a very tight and nearly u-shaped turn in the waterway. The Danube River is the second longest river in Europe, after the Volga of Russia. It travels from west to east, in effect from the occident to the orient. Its source is in the Black Forest of Southwestern Germany and it empties into the Black Sea after traveling 1,770 miles. We entered our first of fifteen locks this afternoon, dropping the River Cloud only 30 feet which gave each of us a small taste of the length of the Danube, and the many countries and cultures we would be experiencing during our cruise of just 8 days, touching only a small part of this long and ancient river.
